Kremlin spox: Putin to meet with Trump's special envoy to discuss Ukrainian settlement

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet with the visiting special envoy of US leader Steven Witkoff on April 11 to discuss the ongoing Ukrainian settlement, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to reporters.

"There will be such a meeting," Peskov stated in response to the inquiry from Russian media, per Caliber.Az.

He elaborated on the importance of the meeting, noting, "Painstaking work continues. Naturally, Witkoff, being a special representative of [US President Donald] Trump, will bring something from his president for Putin. Putin will listen to it. There will be an ongoing conversation on various aspects of the Ukrainian settlement."

Peskov explained that the discussion would cover a wide range of issues related to Ukraine, saying, "There are many aspects, the substance is very complex. That is why conversations, as a rule, turn out to be quite long. This is a very good opportunity for us, through Witkoff, to convey the main elements of Russia's position, Russia's main concerns, which will then become known to President Trump."

When asked about the meeting's duration, Peskov responded, “No,” when questioned if a specific timing had been determined. "An hour, two, three, four, if necessary. As much as President Putin needs."

This meeting follows Witkoff’s recent hosting of Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Washington last week, marking continued diplomatic exchanges between the two countries. In addition, on April 10, the US and Russia reached a prisoner exchange agreement that led to the release of Ksenia Karelina, a dual US-Russia national. This agreement directly stemmed from previous discussions between Witkoff and Putin, including a March conversation focusing on detainee matters.

On the same day, US and Russian diplomats conducted talks in Istanbul, focusing on the normalization of bilateral relations, signaling continued diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions between the two nations.

By Tamilla Hasanova