US envoy holds "useful and constructive" talks with Putin

Witkoff met Putin for about three hours on Wednesday in an effort to break the deadlock in the more than three-year war that began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to Al Jazeera.

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the two sides had exchanged "signals" on the Ukraine issue and discussed the possibility of developing strategic cooperation between Moscow and Washington, but declined to give further details until Witkoff had reported back to US President Donald Trump.

Russian presidential special representative Kirill Dmitriev, who earlier greeted Witkoff and walked with him in a park, posted on social media: "Dialogue will prevail," Al Jazeera reported.

Trump has warned that he would impose sanctions on Russia if Moscow does not agree to a ceasefire in its war on Ukraine before Friday. While the White House has not specified the measures it might take, Trump has previously threatened "secondary tariffs" against Russia's trade partners, including India and China.

Shortly after the meeting, Trump signed an executive order imposing an additional 25 per cent tariff on goods from India over its purchase of Russian oil. The order stated that the "actions and policies of the Government of the Russian Federation continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States," Al Jazeera reported.

When asked on Monday what Witkoff's message to Moscow would be, and whether there was anything Russia could do to avoid sanctions, Trump told reporters, "Yeah, get a deal where people stop getting killed."

Witkoff, a real estate billionaire with no prior diplomatic experience before joining Trump's team in January, has held several lengthy meetings with Putin. Critics have portrayed him as ill-equipped for such sensitive tasks, according to Al Jazeera.

Three previous rounds of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul have failed to achieve progress.

Putin, who has consistently rejected calls for a ceasefire, said on Friday that he wants peace but that his demands for ending the nearly three-and-a-half-year offensive remain unchanged. Moscow has called for Ukraine to cede more territory and renounce Western support, including NATO membership.

Kyiv is calling for an immediate ceasefire, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week urged allies to push for "regime change" in Moscow, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)