The Russian president and Trump emissary held talks in Moscow days before the White House deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine.

New sanctions against Russia will still kick in on Friday, the White House said, even as President Donald Trump praised a meeting between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Vladimir Putin as “highly productive” – and said he was open to meeting the Russian leader as early as next week.

The visit is Witkoff's fifth to Moscow since Trump took office, with the special envoy at the forefront of White House efforts to end Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.