Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, held high-stakes talks at the Kremlin on Wednesday, just two days before a deadline set by the US president for Russia to agree to a peace deal in Ukraine or face fresh sanctions.
Russian state media reported that the meeting, which lasted approximately three hours, concluded with Witkoff’s convoy departing the Kremlin. No official statement has yet been released by either side regarding the outcome of the discussions.
This marks Witkoff’s fifth visit to Moscow in his role as Trump’s lead negotiator with the Kremlin. The talks come as Trump, who has until now been measured in his criticism of Russia, adopts a more confrontational stance. Earlier this week, he accused Moscow of lacking any serious intent to end the war, calling recent Russian strikes on civilians in Kyiv “disgusting”.
Trump has now pledged to impose secondary tariffs on countries importing Russian oil should a breakthrough not be achieved by Friday. “We have a meeting with Russia tomorrow,” Trump said on Tuesday. “We’re going to see what happens. We’ll make that determination at that time.”
Following Trump’s threats, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev warned that the aggressive rhetoric could lead to direct conflict between Moscow and Washington. In response, Trump ordered two US nuclear submarines to be repositioned, further escalating tensions.
Witkoff, a real estate lawyer with no formal diplomatic experience, arrived in Moscow on Wednesday morning. He was seen walking through a central Moscow park alongside Kirill Dmitriev, a Kremlin envoy involved in prior negotiations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the visit with cautious optimism. “It is very important to strengthen all the levers in the arsenal of the United States, Europe, and the G7 so that a ceasefire truly comes into effect immediately,” he wrote on social media. “Ukraine sees the political will, appreciates the efforts of our partners, of America, and of everyone who is helping.”
Ukraine has recently escalated its long-range drone attacks on Russian military and energy infrastructure, prompting widespread airport closures across Russia. In retaliation, Russian missile and drone strikes continue to pummel Ukrainian cities. On Tuesday night, a strike on a recreational centre in the Zaporizhzhia region killed two people and injured 12 others, according to local authorities.
Kyiv claims that up to 500 kamikaze drones have been launched by Russia in a single night. Since May, 72 people have been killed in the capital alone.
Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, is expected to visit Kyiv in the coming days, although a specific date has not yet been confirmed.
Zelenskyy has proposed a leaders’ summit with Putin, mediated by either Trump or Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to discuss a potential settlement. The Kremlin has rejected the proposal, instead sending a lower-level delegation led by former culture minister Vladimir Medinsky to talks in Istanbul. The most recent meeting in July collapsed after less than an hour.
