Kremlin welcomes US special envoy for fourth meeting this year

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Steve Witkoff, the special envoy of US President Donald Trump, for talks in the Kremlin.

The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that this marks the second meeting between the two officials in the past two weeks, and the fourth such encounter since the beginning of the year, Caliber.Az reports citing Russian media.

The previous meeting, which took place on April 11 in St. Petersburg, lasted over four hours and focused primarily on the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Peskov explained that the discussions on the Ukrainian conflict are extensive and complex, requiring prolonged conversations to address the various aspects of the situation.

"The substance is very complex, so the conversations usually turn out to be quite long," Peskov noted.

The Kremlin has described the contacts between Putin and Witkoff as "extremely useful" and has emphasised the importance of this communication channel. According to the Kremlin, Witkoff’s role has become a key mechanism for facilitating direct exchanges between Putin and President Trump, highlighting its reliability and value in shaping bilateral discussions.

Media reported that Russian President's investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev and Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov take part in Putin’s meeting with Witkoff.

Presumably, that suggests Ushakov and Dmitriev are in attendance. Dmitriev met Witkoff earlier this month.

By Vafa Guliyeva