US special envoy Steve Witkoff flew into Russia on Friday to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin, as Donald Trump told Moscow to "get moving" on a peace deal with Ukraine.
The meeting came as US tensions with Moscow's close allies Iran and China were spiking.
The Kremlin confirmed Mr Witkoff's arrival, and the Izvestia news outlet released video of the US president's envoy leaving a hotel in Russia's second city St Petersburg, accompanied by Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's investment envoy.
Meanwhile, the US president expressed frustration at the lack of progress on Ukraine war peace talks, posting on Truth Social: "Russia has to get moving. Too many people ere [sic] DYING, thousands a week, in a terrible and senseless war."
In a separate development, Ukraine's European allies, including Germany, the UK and Norway, pledged a further $37bn in military aid to Ukraine.
The Kremlin declined to confirm if Mr Witkoff would hold talks with Mr Putin, but Axios, which reported his trip earlier on Friday citing a source familiar with the matter, said the two would meet.
Mr Witkoff has emerged as a key figure in the on-and-off rapprochement between Moscow and Washington amid talk from the Russian side of potential joint investments in the Arctic and in Russian rare earth minerals as the two countries continue to search for the outline of a possible peace deal in Ukraine.
Mr Putin was also in St Petersburg on Friday to hold what the Kremlin called an "extraordinarily important" meeting about the development of the Russian Navy which is in the throes of a major modernisation and expansion drive.
If he does meet Mr Witkoff, in a third meeting this year, it would come at a time when US tensions with Iran and China — two countries with which Russia has close ties — are severely strained over Tehran's nuclear programme and a burgeoning trade war with Beijing.
Mr Witkoff is due in Oman on Saturday for talks with Iran over its nuclear program after Mr Trump threatened Tehran with military action if it does not agree to a deal. Moscow has repeatedly offered its help in trying to clinch a diplomatic settlement.
US and Russian officials held talks in Istanbul on Thursday which they both said had made progress towards normalising the work of their diplomatic missions as they begin to rebuild their own bilateral ties.
However, US-Russia dialogue aimed at agreeing a ceasefire ahead of a possible peace deal to end the war in Ukraine appears to have stalled over disagreements around the conditions for a full ceasefire.
Mr Trump, who has shown signs of losing patience, has spoken of imposing secondary sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil if he feels Moscow is dragging its feet on a Ukrainian deal.
A February meeting between Mr Witkoff and Mr Putin culminated with the US envoy flying home with Marc Fogel, an American teacher Washington had designated as wrongfully detained by Russia.
A Russian-American spa worker Ksenia Karelina, who had been sentenced to 12 years in prison in Russia, was exchanged on Thursday for Arthur Petrov, whom the US had accused of forming a global smuggling ring to spirit sensitive electronics to Russia's military.
The US lists several Americans — some dual citizens — who are in jail in Russia, including Stephen Hubbard, a teacher who Washington has officially declared as wrongfully detained.
Reuters
