US President Donald Trump has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to “get moving” on securing ceasefire in Ukraine.
Trump’s message came as his envoy, Steve Witkoff, held a four-hour meeting with Putin in St Petersburg. The Kremlin said discussions centered on a possible Ukrainian settlement. This is Witkoff’s third meeting with the Russian leader in 2025.
Russia’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who also met Witkoff earlier at the Grand Hotel Europe, described the session as “productive.” Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, recently became the highest-ranking Russian official to visit Washington since the 2022 invasion.
On social media, Trump expressed frustration at the pace of negotiations: “Russia has to get moving. Too many people ere [sic] DYING, thousands a week, in a terrible and senseless war.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, dismissed reports suggesting the US was considering partitioning Ukraine.
The Times reported Kellogg likened potential Western troop zones to post-WWII Berlin. Kellogg later said he was referring to a post-ceasefire force supporting Ukrainian sovereignty, not partition.
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Neither Kyiv nor the White House has issued an official response.
In a separate development, European defence ministers pledged €21bn in new military aid for Kyiv, saying they see no sign of an end to the conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, visiting Kryvyi Rih after a deadly Russian missile strike that killed 19 people, accused Moscow of extending the war and claimed hundreds of Chinese nationals are fighting alongside Russian forces. Two were recently captured.
Zelensky renewed his appeal for air defence systems and said Ukraine is prepared to purchase more. “Only powerful weapons can truly be relied upon,” he wrote.
While Trump has said he could end the war in 24 hours, previous attempts at a limited ceasefire stalled over Russia’s demand for sanctions relief.
Still, diplomatic efforts continue. A prisoner swaps this week saw Russian American Ksenia Karelina exchanged for Arthur Petrov, accused of exporting electronics to Russia.
Reported by BBC
