Putin Sends Top Negotiator to Washington As Trump Sours on Peace Talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin is sending one of his close advisers and the head of the country's sovereign wealth fund to Washington, according to new reports, as U.S.-pushed ceasefire talks over Ukraine fail to yield significant breakthroughs.

Why It Matters

Trump swept into office on a pledge of ending the grueling war in Ukraine in just one day. Although widely recognized as unrealistic, the promise set the tone for an aggressive negotiating posture from the new administration, crafted to quickly get Moscow and Kyiv to the table.

Trump had reportedly hoped for a ceasefire by Easter, which falls on April 20 this year.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said following a visit to the U.S. over the weekend that April 20 "would be a good time for a full ceasefire without any conditions."

"A deadline is needed, because it is Easter and because President Donald Trump will have been in office for three months," he said.

What To Know

Kirill Dmitriev, the chief of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), is expected to travel to Washington this week to meet with Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, CNN first reported on Tuesday, citing a U.S. official and two sources with knowledge of the plans.

Newsweek has contacted the RDIF via email for comment.

Dmitriev was part of a delegation to Saudi Arabia in initial rounds of peace talks with the U.S. He said late last month that Moscow and Washington had "a very good dialogue," adding in comments reported by state media that the U.S. "tries to understand the Russian position."

Witkoff, who has headed U.S. outreach to the Kremlin, has twice visited Moscow in efforts to secure a ceasefire deal. Speaking to former Fox News host Tucker Carlson last month, Trump's envoy said he "liked" Putin, adding: "I thought he was straight up with me."

Ukraine and Kyiv's European allies have watched on with apprehension at the apparent rapprochement between the Kremlin and the White House.

Trump himself has oscillated on his tone toward Putin, telling NBC in an interview on Sunday he was "very angry" and "pissed off" with the Kremlin leader over attacks on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's legitimacy "because that's not going in the right location."

Trump himself has called Zelensky a "dictator," a label he refused to pin on Putin when asked by reporters. Trump also said over the weekend he would consider tariffs on Russian oil exports.

He said later on Sunday he had known Putin "for a long time," and the two leaders had "always gotten along well."

In late March, Trump told Newsmax that Russia could be "dragging their feet," although he qualified his remarks by saying he believed Moscow "wants to see an end" to the more than three years of war.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that Trump was "frustrated with leaders on both sides."

Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing two U.S. officials, that the Trump administration is looking into new ways to bend Kyiv and Moscow toward concessions in the peace talks.

U.S. officials have become more irritated with Russia in recent days, the sources told the news agency.

Trump had accused Kyiv of not being ready for peace, which Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has repeatedly denied. The Ukrainian leader has blamed Russia for the slow progress of talks, a sentiment echoed by his European backers.

Ukraine agreed to a comprehensive month-long ceasefire with the U.S. after talks in March, but Moscow rejected the terms of this deal. Russia has said current ceasefire proposals do not address its view of the "root causes" of the war, and has insisted on conditions unacceptable to Kyiv.

"Russia is playing games and not really wanting peace," the E.U.'s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said on Monday.

The U.S. agreed in separate deals with Ukraine and Russia to in principle halt strikes on energy facilities and in the Black Sea, but has struggled to advance the ceasefire further.

What People Are Saying

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that Trump was "frustrated with leaders on both sides."

What Happens Next

Grigory Karasin, a Russian lawmaker who is part of Moscow's negotiating team, told state media last week that ceasefire talks could continue into next year.