"Certain signals were sent from our side, especially on the issue of Ukraine. We also received corresponding signals from President Trump," Ushakov told reporters about the meeting, which he described as"useful and constructive." According to him, the conversation also focused on the prospects for the development of"strategic cooperation" between Russia and the United States.

Upon arrival at Vnukovo Airport on Wednesday morning, Witkoff was greeted by the Russian dictator's negotiator, Kirill Dmitriyev. This is Witkoff's fifth visit to Russia since the beginning of the year, TASS recalled. The US president's special envoy last arrived in Moscow for talks on April 25, when he also held talks with Putin. However, no progress regarding the situation in Ukraine came from the meeting.

"A very productive meeting," says Trump

“My Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had a very productive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Much progress has been made!” Trump wrote on his social network Truth Social. He added that he had informed some American allies in Europe about the meeting in the Kremlin. “Everyone agrees that this war (in Ukraine – ed.) must end and we will be working on it in the coming days and weeks,” Trump also wrote.

Trump had previously said his next steps would depend on the outcome of Witkoff's talks in Moscow, but an unnamed US official told Reuters that Washington still intended to impose secondary sanctions on Russian oil customers on Friday.

Trump also spoke by phone with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, soon after the Witkoff-Putin meeting, according to media sources in the US and Ukraine. Details of the conversation are not yet known.