Moscow, 25 April 2025 (dpa/MIA) - A Kremlin adviser has described Friday's talks in Moscow between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin as "constructive and quite useful," according to Russian news agency Interfax.

The three-hour meeting focused in part on the possibility of a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine. Quoting Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, Interfax said direct negotiations between Kiev and Moscow were discussed.

Russia has stated its willingness to engage in such talks but insists that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky must revoke a decree that currently bans direct negotiations with Moscow.

Upon arriving in Moscow, Witkoff also met with Putin's envoy for economic cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev. Dmitriev, who heads Russia’s state-backed Direct Investment Fund, later joined the meeting with Putin, along with Ushakov.

Witkoff has met with Putin in person on multiple occasions and has consistently spoken favourably of the Russian leader afterward - comments that Ukrainian President Zelensky has publicly criticized.

Under President Donald Trump, Washington has sharply shifted its stance on the war, withdrawing long-term military support for Ukraine and pressuring Kiev to reach a swift peace agreement, even if it means ceding territory to Russia.

Photo: EPA