
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who was in Moscow to discuss resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
Witkoff was accompanied by Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and the Commissioner of the US Federal Real Estate Acquisition Service, Josh Gruenbaum.
Witkoff first announced the meeting with Putin on Wednesday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, stating that the meeting was requested by the Russian side after there had been "great progress" in peace negotiations in Ukraine in recent weeks, although territorial disputes remained a key sticking point.
"The Russians have invited us to come. And that's an important statement on their part," Witkoff told reporters, adding that "I think everyone is involved in the process and wants to see a peace agreement happen."
Witkoff said the talks with Putin would be based on Washington's 20-point peace plan, adding that "I think we are now on the verge of ground agreements."
The US special envoy met with Putin at least six times in person in 2025 as part of efforts to advance peace talks, with the most recent five-hour talks taking place on December 2. At the time, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said that “so far no compromises have been found,” adding that “some American proposals are acceptable to Russia… others are not.”