Witkoff, Putin envoy meet in Washington as Trump grows impatient

Kate Sullivan and Natalia Drozdiak, Bloomberg News on Apr 3, 2025

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U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and a Russian negotiator met on Wednesday and Thursday in Washington, days after U.S. President Donald Trump expressed frustration with Vladimir Putin over the lack of momentum on negotiations toward a ceasefire in the Ukraine war.

The U.S. is now waiting for Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian negotiator, to report back to Putin before the two sides move forward with any next steps, according to a person familiar with the talks.

In an interview with CNN on Thursday after the meetings, Dmitriev said, “Steve has been really focused on solutions.”

“I think there is an understanding for how we can move to finalize the agreement, and there have been lots of discussion in that realm,” he added.

American officials have become increasingly frustrated by Moscow’s slow-walking of negotiations. What appeared to be a breakthrough last week over a partial truce in the Black Sea quickly evaporated after Russian officials said it was contingent on sanctions relief. That assertion contradicted a U.S. statement outlining the parameters of the agreement.

Russia and Ukraine have also exchanged accusations of noncompliance with the terms of a partial ceasefire, including by striking each others’ energy sites.

Trump told NBC News last weekend that he was “pissed off” with Putin, the Russian leader, and threatened secondary tariffs on buyers of his country’s oil if he refused a ceasefire with Ukraine, rare public criticism of Moscow by the American president.

Dmitriev, 49, runs Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and has played an important role in talks between the U.S. and Russia.

His presence in the U.S. capital highlights the prospects of greater business cooperation between the two countries on potential projects, including in the Arctic and on liquefied natural gas. He’s a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. investment banker who was educated at Stanford and Harvard universities and has ties to Putin’s family.

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(With assistance from Annmarie Hordern.)