U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. According to Russian media, the meeting lasted around three hours and took place just days before the Friday deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump for Russia to halt its military operation in Ukraine or face new, unspecified sanctions.

President Vladimir Putin warmly received Witkoff, with the Kremlin’s press office releasing photos showing the two men shaking hands and smiling before the start of their meeting.

Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Wednesday amid signs of escalating tensions with Washington, following Trump’s decision last Friday to deploy two nuclear submarines after a heated exchange on social media with Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev.

The meeting comes just ahead of the deadline set by Trump for Russia to end the war in Ukraine or face new sanctions. Trump had pledged during his election campaign to swiftly end the war in Ukraine. Since returning to the White House, he has worked to establish direct lines of communication with Putin, in contrast to the approach taken by his predecessor, Joe Biden. However, Trump has recently expressed frustration with the Russian president’s refusal to accept American ceasefire proposals.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump was asked whether he would impose a 100% tariff on Russia. He replied, “I never talked about percentages, but we’re going to take a lot of actions on that front,” adding, “We have a meeting with Russia tomorrow. Let’s see what happens. Then we’ll make a decision.”

When asked what message Witkoff was carrying to Moscow and whether there was anything Russia could do to avoid sanctions, Trump responded, “Yes—reach an agreement that stops people from being killed.”

Witkoff has met with Putin several times in Moscow before, but the diplomatic efforts led by the U.S. envoy—who has been tasked with multiple global missions—have yet to yield any results.

For his part, Putin reiterated last Friday that he wants peace but emphasized that Russia’s demands to end the war remain unchanged.

Moscow insists that Kyiv formally renounce four partially occupied regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson—as well as Crimea, which Russia unilaterally annexed in 2014.

Russia also demands that Ukraine stop receiving Western weapons and abandon its aspirations to join NATO.

Kyiv considers these conditions unacceptable and instead demands the withdrawal of Russian forces and Western security guarantees.