Kremlin confirms arrival of Trump's envoy for key talks with Russian president

The Kremlin has officially confirmed the arrival of Steve Witkoff, the special envoy of US President Donald Trump, in Russia.

The confirmation came through a statement by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Caliber.Az reports citing Russian media.

While details of the visit remain sparse, Peskov noted that the Kremlin will provide further information if Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting with Witkoff during his stay in Moscow.

To recap, Steve Witkoff has traveled to Russia for his third meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The visit, scheduled for April 11, has been confirmed by a source familiar with the trip and corroborated by FlightRadar data.

This marks a significant diplomatic effort amid the Trump administration's ongoing attempts to mediate a resolution to the war in Ukraine. The meeting follows a series of discussions aimed at addressing the conflict, although progress has reportedly been slow in recent weeks. Trump has expressed frustration with the lack of significant breakthroughs and at one point was quoted as being "furious" over Putin's comments regarding Ukraine.

The US State Department did not respond to media inquiry regarding the specifics of Witkoff’s trip, adding an air of uncertainty to the diplomatic mission. Sources suggest that if a ceasefire agreement is not reached by the end of April, President Trump may pursue additional sanctions against Russia. These sanctions could be imposed through executive action or by urging Congress to pass new legislation targeting Russian entities and individuals.

Last week, Witkoff hosted Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Washington, signaling continued diplomatic exchanges between the two countries. Additionally, on April 10, the US and Russia reached a prisoner exchange agreement that saw the release of Ksenia Karelina, a US-Russia dual national. This agreement was a direct outcome of prior meetings between Witkoff and Putin, including a March discussion focused on detainee matters.

Moreover, US and Russian diplomats held talks in Istanbul on April 10, focusing on the normalization of bilateral relations, another sign of the ongoing diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions between the two nations.

By Vafa Guliyeva