**US Diplomat to Meet Putin Amid Stalled Ceasefire Talks**
In a bid to revive stalled ceasefire talks, US diplomat Steven Witkoff is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 11. This will be the third meeting between the two leaders, with Witkoff having taken the lead in President Trump‘s efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
The meeting comes a week after Putin’s envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, met Witkoff and other US officials in Washington, expressing “cautious optimism” about renewed diplomatic engagement between the two countries. However, despite these efforts, talks have made little progress, with Moscow rejecting a 30-day ceasefire proposal and repeatedly violating a previous energy-related ceasefire agreement.
**US Tensions with Russia on the Rise**
The Trump administration has been critical of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, with President Trump expressing frustration at the lack of progress. He has described himself as “pissed off” and “very angry” over Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian credibility and stalled peace talks. The US has also threatened additional sanctions and tariffs against Russia unless it agrees to scale back its military presence in Ukraine.
The situation has become increasingly tense, with the US briefly halting all military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine in March. Washington is also pressing Kyiv to sign a deal that would allow the US to extract revenue from Ukraine’s mineral wealth, which has been met with resistance by Ukrainian officials.
**Prisoner Exchange and Embassy Talks**
Despite the tensions, there have been some positive developments. On April 10, US and Russian officials met in Istanbul for talks on embassy operations, with no mention of Ukraine on the agenda. The same day, a prisoner exchange took place, with Russia releasing US-Russian national Ksenia Karelina in exchange for German-Russian citizen Artur Petrov.
Additionally, the two countries have held two rounds of discussions on peace in Ukraine in Saudi Arabia, but it remains to be seen if these talks will bear fruit. The upcoming meeting between Witkoff and Putin may provide some indication of whether momentum is building towards a resolution, or if tensions are set to continue escalating.