Putin meets Trump's special envoy in Russia in hope of last minute peace talks

Hope for peace in Ukraine has taken a boost this morning after Vladimir Putin held talks with US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow. The meeting comes days before the White House's deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or potentially face severe economic penalties that could also hit countries buying its oil. The Kremlin has yet to provide details about the meeting.

Witkoff took an early morning stroll through Zaryadye Park, a stone's throw from the Kremlin, with Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president's envoy for investment and economic cooperation, footage aired by TASS showed. Dmitriev played a key role in three rounds of direct talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul in recent months, as well as discussions between Russian and US officials. The negotiations have so far made no substantial progress on ending the three-year war following Russia's invasion of its neighbour.

Trump's deadline for Putin ends on Friday and he has threatened "severe tariffs" and other economic penalties if the fighting doesn't stop.

The US President has expressed increasing frustration with Putin over Russia's escalating strikes on civilian areas of Ukraine, intended to erode morale and public appetite for the war. The intensified attacks have occurred even as Trump has urged the Russian leader in recent months to relent.

The Russian Presdient is increasingly confident of military victory in Ukraine and has no incentive to stop the fighting as things stand. A Kremlin source revealed to Reuters that Russia's General Staff has told Putin that they expect Ukraine's army to crumble in two to three months.

Another insider claimed that Putin values his relationship with the White House boss but "cannot afford to end the war just because Trump wants it."

The situation on the frontline is critical for Ukrainian forces but defences are not about to collapse, analysts say.

Russia's recent gains also remain relatively minor in purely territorial terms and have come at a very high cost in soldiers' lives.

Putin's forces have only taken 5,000 square kilometres (1,930 square miles) of land since the start of last year, less than 1% of the country's overall territory, according to a June report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The Russian president has given no hint that he might be ready to make concessions. Instead, the he and senior Kremlin officials have talked up the country's military strength.

Putin announced last week that Russia's new hypersonic missile has entered service. He claimed it cannot be intercepted by current NATO air defence systems.