Russian President Vladimir Putin held a closed-door meeting with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Wednesday, according to Russian state news agency TASS, which cited the Kremlin.
While no official details of the nearly three-hour talks were immediately released, Kremlin-issued photos confirmed the presence of Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser, at the meeting.
The diplomatic engagement comes amid heightened U.S.-Russia tensions over the ongoing war in Ukraine.
In July, U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly gave Moscow a 50-day deadline to end the conflict in Ukraine, a timeline that has since been shortened to this Friday.
President Trump has also warned of a new wave of sanctions should Russia fail to comply, potentially targeting not only Russian interests but also third-party countries that continue to import Russian oil and gas — including India.
As of the time of this report, neither the White House nor the Kremlin has issued an official statement on the outcome or substance of the Moscow meeting.
