U.S. President Donald Trump said that reports claiming Russian President Vladimir Putin made U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff wait a long time to discuss a ceasefire proposal for the Russia-Ukraine war were "fake news."

Former U.S. President-elect Donald Trump listens to Steve Witkoff's speech at a press conference held at Mar-a-Lago in Florida on Jan. 7 (/AP)

On the 15th (local time), President Trump posted on his social media (SNS) that he read an article stating, "Last night, President Putin made my respected ambassador and special envoy Steve Witkoff wait for over 9 hours. However, in reality, he never waited at all," adding, "The fake news has started again."

He continued, "Meetings with other Russian representatives took place, and while it took some time, it was very productive. All signs seem to be very positive." He added, "The media creates this fake news to diminish and insult me."

Earlier, foreign media, including the U.S. and the U.K., cited an analysis by Sky News Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett, stating that Special Envoy Witkoff arrived in Moscow around lunchtime on the 13th, and that he spent just over 12 hours in the city, with more than 8 hours spent waiting to meet President Putin, only being able to meet him late at night.