The conversation with Vladimir Putin on Thursday was not conducted by US President Donald Trump himself, but by his special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, who was visiting Moscow on Thursday, Reuters writes, citing information from the White House.

"In the last few minutes, the White House has clarified that it was US envoy Steve Witkoff who spoke with Russian president Vladimir Putin, and not US president Donald Trump," the report notes.

The confusion was caused by Trump’s social media post earlier, in which he praised the discussions with the Russian leader, and said "I have strongly requested to President Putin," making it sound as if he spoke with Putin personally.

In addition, the US president claimed thousands of Ukrainian soldiers surrounded in Kursk region of Russia, which was later denied, but according to analysts, the statement itself was likely made on the basis of information provided to Trump by Putin.

As reported, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that Putin held late-night talks in Moscow with Witkoff to discuss the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire on the front. He said that Putin used the meeting to convey "signals" to Trump.

Peskov also said that Russia and the US would discuss the time of a phone call between their presidents, when Witkoff would brief Trump, saying that both sides agreed that such a conversation was necessary.