U.S. Ambassador Witkoff and Putin met for the third time in Russia: Ceasefire on the table.

Ukraine accepted the U.S. ceasefire proposal, but Russia effectively blocked the process by putting forward extensive conditions. European governments accused Putin of deliberately slowing down the process.

U.S. Special Representative for the Middle East Steve Witkoff is in Russia for the third time to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to secure Russia's acceptance of a complete ceasefire. Witkoff, who is pressuring the Kremlin to accept the ceasefire, initially met with Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev. The meeting took place amid growing doubts about Putin's willingness to end a war that has been ongoing for more than three years. Early Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth Social that "Russia needs to take action" to end the war, adding that it is "horrible and senseless." Ukraine approved the U.S. ceasefire proposal, but Russia effectively blocked it by imposing broad conditions. European governments accused Putin of dragging his feet. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated before the talks that "no progress is expected," adding, "the process of normalizing relations continues." In an assessment late Thursday, the Washington-based think tank Institute for the Study of War said, "Russia continues to use bilateral talks with the U.S. to delay negotiations related to the war in Ukraine, indicating that the Kremlin is not seriously interested in peace negotiations to end the war." State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that despite four weeks having passed since the ceasefire proposals, Washington remains determined to secure a peace agreement. "This is a dynamic that cannot be resolved militarily. It’s a meat grinder," Bruce said, adding, "until the shooting and killing stops... nothing else can be discussed."