U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff met President Vladimir Putin for three hours in Moscow on Friday to discuss the U.S. plan to end the Ukraine war, and the Kremlin said the two sides' positions had moved closer.

The Russian general died in a car bombing in the Russian city of Balashikha on Friday, according to authorities, with news of the blast breaking just before US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Before Russia launched its overnight attacks, US President Donald Trump accused Volodymyr Zelensky of harming peace negotiations. After the Ukrainian president said Kyiv would not recognise Russian control of Crimea, Trump said the condition was "very harmful" to peace talks.