Russian President Vladimir Putin gave US President Donald Trump an "extremely personal gift", which he handed to Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff last week, the Kremlin said today, DPA reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not disclose the nature of the gift. According to American media, Witkoff said that the gift was a portrait of Trump painted by a famous Russian artist.
Peskov said that additional information could only be provided if Putin decided to do so, since the gift was of a personal nature.
Putin has previously expressed admiration for Trump, especially after the assassination attempt on the Republican in July last year, when Trump was shot in the ear during an election rally.
The Kremlin spokesman said that both Russia and the United States are willing and ready to make progress on the path to a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine.
Both Russia and the United States are willing and ready to make progress towards a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine, Peskov said. He added that this touches on a whole range of issues being discussed between Russian and American representatives in Riyadh.
Peskov said that the talks focused in particular on the safety of shipping in the Black Sea, especially with regard to the transport of Ukrainian grain. Russia canceled a previous Black Sea agreement on the grounds that its interests were being violated.
Peskov said earlier that Russia's moratorium on strikes against Ukraine's energy infrastructure remained in place despite reports of ongoing Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy facilities.