Putin says Russia ready for Ukraine talks ‘without preconditions’: Kremlin

Russia is ready to hold peace talks with Ukraine "without preconditions", President Vladimir Putin told US envoy Steve Witkoff at a meeting on Friday, the Kremlin said on Saturday (April 26).

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, "During yesterday's talks with Trump's envoy Witkoff, Vladimir Putin reiterated that Russia is ready to resume negotiations with Ukraine without any preconditions," adding that Putin has repeated this position several times in the past.

Meanwhile, Witkoff spent three hours meeting with Putin in Moscow on Friday to discuss the US proposal for ending the war in Ukraine, with US President Donald Trump saying the two sides were "very close to a deal" despite some clear differences in their views.

Trump and Zelensky discuss peace deal at Vatican

Separately, US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met briefly on Saturday in Vatican City on the sidelines of the pope’s funeral.

According to Ukrainian presidential spokesman Serhii Nykyforov, the two leaders spoke for about 15 minutes, describing the discussion as "very constructive" with both sides ready to "move quickly" toward a potential ceasefire.

No second meeting planned

However, while an additional meeting was initially scheduled for later Saturday, Nykyforov said it was canceled due to scheduling conflicts.

Russian strikes on Ukraine

At the same time, these diplomatic moves come as Russian attacks across Ukraine overnight left three people dead and six others injured, Ukrainian officials said Saturday. Two people died in a strike on Yarova in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, according to local Governor Vadym Filashkin. Another fatality was reported in the Dnipropetrovsk region, where Governor Serhiy Lysak said an 88-year-old woman and an 11-year-old girl were among the injured.

Drone and missile barrage

In addition, Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched three missiles and 114 drones overnight. Of these, 66 drones were destroyed, and 31 decoy drones failed to reach their targets, the air force said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Russia's defense ministry claimed that its air defenses shot down 45 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Russia claims control of Kursk border areas

Russia’s top general, Valery Gerasimov, told Putin on Saturday that Ukrainian forces had been fully pushed out of Russia’s Kursk border region. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov relayed the information to Russian state media outlet Interfax.

In response, Putin reportedly congratulated Russian troops, stating, “The complete defeat of our enemy along Kursk’s border region creates the right conditions for further successes for our troops and in other important areas of the front.”

North Korean troops confirmed fighting for Russia

In a significant admission, Gerasimov confirmed that North Korean soldiers participated in combat missions alongside Russian forces in Kursk. He praised the North Korean troops, saying they "demonstrated high professionalism, showed fortitude, courage and heroism in battle."

Background on troop deployment

Last fall, Ukraine, the US, and South Korea accused North Korea of sending 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia. Moscow and Pyongyang had previously avoided directly confirming the presence of North Korean forces, merely stating their cooperation complied with international law.