Talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Friday were described by a Kremlin adviser as "constructive and quite useful," according to Russian news agency Interfax.

The three-hour meeting reportedly focused on prospects for a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine, including the possibility of direct talks between Kiev and Moscow.

Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said that Russia remains open to such negotiations but insists that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky must first revoke a decree prohibiting direct talks with the Kremlin.

This was Witkoff's fourth time meeting Putin. He also met on Friday with Putin’s envoy for economic cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev, who heads Russia’s Direct Investment Fund and later joined the meeting with the Russian president.