Witcoof meets with Putin when Trump calls on Russia to “move” to ceasefire Ukraine

US Messenger Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin on St. Petrburg on Friday, when Donald Trump urged the Russian president to “move” to ceasefire in Ukraine.

The Kremlin said the meeting lasted more than four hours and was focused on the “aspects of the Ukrainian settlement”. Negotiations, the third Witkoff with Putin this year, were described by a special envoy Cyril Dmitriev as “productive”.

Trump expressed his disappointment with Putin to negotiate. On Friday, he wrote on social media: “Russia must move. Too many people (SIC) dies, thousands a week, in a terrible and meaningless war.”

Earlier on this day, European countries agreed with 21 billion euros ($ 24 billion; £ 18 billion) in Kyiv military assistance.

At this event, the European Defense Ministers said they did not see the signs of the end of the war.

Ahead of Putin-Vitkoff, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that “there is no need to wait for breakthroughs” because “the process of normalization of relations is ongoing”.

Asked if the discussions could include a date for meeting Putin and Trump, Sand replied: “Let’s see. It depends on what Witkoff came with.”

Witkoff in advance held a meeting with Dmitriev at Grand Hotel Europe in St. Petrburg, where a conference was held on stainless steel and on the Russian market.

Last week, Dmitriev, the 49-year-old head of the Russian sovereign riches fund, visited Washington and was the most high-ranking Russian official who went to the United States after a full invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Meanwhile, the President of Ukraine, Olodimir Zelensky, accused the Kremlin of extending the war on Friday’s visit to the place on April 4 on his blood hometown. The attack killed 19 people, including nine children.

He also claimed that hundreds of Chinese citizens fought with the Russian army. This happens after Ukraine stated that it had captured two Chinese citizens.

“We have information that at least a few hundred Chinese citizens are fighting within the Russian occupation forces,” Zelensky said.

“This means that Russia is clearly trying to extend the war even through the life of the Chinese.”

Zelensky put flowers before photos of Herman Triple, nine and seven -year -old Arina Samadin and Radislaw Yatsko.

He later repeated the call for air defense systems “to protect life and our cities.”

“We discussed this with President Trump – Ukraine is not just asking what we are ready to buy these additional systems,” he wrote on social media.

“Only a powerful weapon can be reliable to protect life if you have a neighbor like Russia.”

Earlier, Trump claimed that the conflict of Ukraine-Russia “in 24 hours” could end. On Friday, he stated that it did not happen if he was in the White House in 2022 when Russia launched its full -scale invasion.

“The war that should be LD (SIC) never happened and would not have happened if I was president !!!,” he wrote.

In February the US and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia For their first conversations face to face after invasion. Officials also met to discuss the restoration of full diplomatic relations.

Trump also had Abrupt relationships with Zelensky From the other term, when the US president started, in February ended with an angry confrontation in the oval office.

The United States tried to abandon the limited ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea, only to stop when the Kremlin asked for sanctions imposed after it launched its full -scale invasion of a neighbor.

Since then, Trump has said he was “very angry” and “angry” with Putin because of the lack of progress in agreement between Kiev and Moscow.

Earlier this week Washington and Moscow went forward with Replacing the prisoner.

Ksenia Karelin, the Russian-American, was sentenced to 12 years in Russia for donating $ 51 for Ukrainian charity when the war began in February 2022.

A Los Angeles resident was released on Thursday morning and exchanged for Arthur Petrov, a double citizen of German Russia, arrested in Cyprus for 2023.

He was charged with illegal exports of microelectronics to Russia for manufacturers working with the military.