Moscow [Russia], April 12 (ANI): United States President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg to discuss the conflict in Ukraine, Al Jazeera reported.

On Friday, Putin was shown on state TV, as per Al Jazeera, greeting Witkoff in Saint Petersburg's presidential library at the start of the negotiations, and their talks lasted more than four hours.

Also Read | South Africa Shocker: 4 Armed Men Kidnap US Pastor at Gunpoint During Church Service in Eastern Cape, Investigation Underway.

The Kremlin said the meeting "focused on various aspects of the Ukrainian settlement", without elaborating.

Earlier, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin and Witkoff might discuss the possibility of the Russian leader meeting Trump face-to-face.

Also Read | Florida Plane Crash: 3 People Killed After Small Aircraft Crashes on Busy Street in Boca Raton in US (Watch Video).

According to Al Jazeera, Witkoff is now a key figure in the on-off tete-a-tete between Moscow and Washington amid talk on the Russian side of potential joint investments in the Arctic and Russian rare earth minerals.

The talks come as the US continues efforts to broker a ceasefire deal to end the conflict, which has stalled amid negotiations on the conditions of the deal.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Friday (local time) confirmed that US special envoy Steve Witkoff is currently in Russia to hold direct talks with the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of the ongoing efforts towards a ceasefire deal for the Ukraine conflict.

During a press briefing, Leavitt stated that it was a step towards the negotiating process for the ceasefire as well as an "ultimate peace deal."

She added that US President Donald Trump has been "continually frustrated with both sides of this conflict," indicating the administration's intent to take a more active role in peace negotiations.

Putin and Trump have spoken by phone but have yet to meet in person since the US leader returned to the White House in January for a second four-year term.

Trump has been pressing Moscow and Kyiv to agree on a ceasefire deal but has failed to extract any major concessions from the Kremlin, despite several rounds of talks between Russian and US officials. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)