A Gulfstream G650 jet believed to be carrying US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff took off from Paris bound for Russia. According to Flightradar24, the aircraft was flying over Bosnia and Herzegovina on the evening of April 23, 2025. According to the American publication Axios, Witkoff plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, April 25. The meeting will be another attempt by the Trump administration to advance negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict that has been ongoing since February 2022.

Witkoff's visit to Russia will be his fourth since the start of 2025. He previously met with Putin in Moscow and St. Petersburg in February, March and April to discuss a temporary ceasefire and possible solutions. According to the BBC, the most recent meeting on April 11 at the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library in St. Petersburg lasted more than four hours. At that time, the parties discussed the possibility of a 30-day truce, but Russia put forward additional conditions, including a partial lifting of sanctions, which caused disagreement. Axios notes that Trump has expressed disappointment with the lack of significant progress in the talks, emphasizing the need to reach an agreement as soon as possible.

On the evening of April 23, Donald Trump sharply criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The reason was the unsuccessful negotiations in London, where the Ukrainian delegation discussed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire with representatives of the United States and Europe. In his statement on the social network Truth Social, Trump emphasized that Zelensky is hindering the peace process by making statements that complicate dialogue with Russia. In particular, the US President referred to Zelensky’s recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, where he stated that Ukraine does not legally recognize the loss of Crimea and does not intend to discuss its status. Trump noted that Crimea is not the subject of current negotiations and called such statements “inflammatory,” accusing Zelensky of prolonging the conflict.

Trump also clarified that the United States is not calling on Ukraine to recognize Crimea as Russian territory, but stressed that the peninsula was lost in 2014, when, in his view, the Obama administration did not do enough to prevent the annexation. Historical context confirms that Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 after a referendum that was not recognized by the international community. Since then, the peninsula has remained under Moscow's control, and Russian military bases, including Black Sea Fleet facilities, continue to operate in the region. Trump said that Zelensky, with "no cards to play," should focus on achieving peace to avoid further losses for Ukraine.

The Trump administration is pushing hard for a ceasefire, emphasizing the humanitarian aspects. According to the US president, thousands of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers are dying in the conflict every week, making it urgent to find a compromise. At the same time, Zelensky insists on maintaining sanctions pressure on Russia and rejects proposals that could weaken Kyiv's position. According to Reuters, there are differences of opinion within the Trump administration over the settlement strategy: Witkoff advocates a compromise approach, while other advisers, such as Keith Kellogg, take a tougher stance.

The Russian side, in turn, has repeatedly stated its readiness for negotiations, but with reservations. In March 2025, Putin supported the idea of ​​a 30-day ceasefire, but pointed out the need to discuss “nuances,” including the situation in the Kursk region and on the front line. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted on April 11 that Russia was observing a moratorium on attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, introduced after Putin and Trump’s telephone conversation on March 18. However, Kyiv and Moscow continue to accuse each other of violating the agreements.