Vladimir Putin and US envoy steve witkoff set for key ukraine talks in Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Tuesday, after the White House said it was "very optimistic" about reaching a deal to end the Ukraine war. The summit comes after two days of negotiations in Florida between Ukrainian and US officials, including Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, aimed at refining a US-backed peace plan which had been viewed as favourable to Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the talks as "constructive", but said there were "some tough issues that still have to be worked through".