President Donald Trump has warned that he would impose sanctions on Russia if Moscow does not agree to a ceasefire.
United States special envoy Steve Witkoff has arrived in Moscow, days before the White House’s deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or face economic penalties.
President Donald Trump has warned that he would impose sanctions on Russia if Moscow does not agree to a ceasefire in its war on Ukraine before Friday.
The White House has not outlined specific actions it plans to take, but Trump has previously threatened to impose “secondary tariffs” against Russia’s trade partners, such as India and China.
After arriving in Moscow on Wednesday, Witkoff was met by presidential special representative Kirill Dmitriev, Russian state news agency TASS said.
Dmitriev had played a key role in direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul in recent months, as well as discussions between Russian and US officials.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov welcomed on Monday Witkoff’s visit. “We consider (talks with Witkoff) important, substantive and very useful,” he said.
The Kremlin has not said whether Witkoff will meet President Vladimir Putin during his visit.
When reporters asked Trump on Monday what Witkoff’s message would be to Moscow, and if there was anything Russia could do to avoid the sanctions, Trump replied: “Yeah, get a deal where people stop getting killed.”
Witkoff, a real estate billionaire, has had several long meetings with Putin. He had no diplomatic experience before joining Trump’s team in January, and critics have portrayed him as over his head for such tasks.
Three previous rounds of peace talks in Istanbul in an attempt to broker a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine have failed to make headway.
Putin, who has consistently rejected calls for a ceasefire, said on Friday that he wants peace but that his demands for ending the nearly three-and-a-half-year offensive were unchanged. Moscow has demanded that Ukraine cede more territory and renounce Western support, including seeking NATO membership.
Kyiv is calling for an immediate ceasefire, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week urged his allies to push for “regime change” in Moscow.
