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Trump’s Envoy Reportedly Heads to Moscow for Talks With Putin Amid Stalled Ceasefire Efforts
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![Amira_barkhush]( "Photo of Amira Barkhush")
US President’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is reportedly heading to Russia for a meeting with the country’s leader, Vladimir Putin, according to Axios, citing its own sources.
The sources said that the meeting is scheduled for April 11, and will mark the third time Witkoff and Putin have met.
US President Donald Trump is reportedly frustrated by the lack of progress in recent talks and said he was “pissed off” by Putin’s latest remarks about Ukraine. If a ceasefire isn’t reached by the end of the month, Trump may impose additional sanctions on Russia, Axios' source said.
At the beginning of April, Trump stated that he wanted Putin to negotiate a deal and expressed confidence that the Kremlin would do so. At the same time, Trump said he would consider imposing secondary tariffs on Russian oil if Russia drags its feet around ceasefire efforts.
On March 19, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outlined key issues that will not be subject to negotiation with Russia in any future peace talks, reiterating Kyiv’s stance on Russian-occupied territories, stressing that these areas remain temporarily occupied and will never be recognized as Russian.
The energy ceasefire agreement, mediated by the US, came into effect on March 25 and was intended to halt attacks on energy and port infrastructure. Ukraine has stated that it is complying with the arrangement, while Russian officials claimed the ceasefire began on March 18.
Despite the agreement, Russian forces have launched multiple strikes on energy infrastructure in recent weeks, including attacks in Kharkiv, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, and now Kherson regions.
