Putin Meets US Envoy As Trump’s Sanctions Deadline Nears
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday met with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow, two days before a deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Russia to halt its Ukraine offensive or face fresh sanctions.
Trump, who promised to end the war within 24 hours of assuming office, has given Moscow until Friday to show progress towards peace or risk new penalties.
Three rounds of peace talks in Istanbul have failed, while Russia has stepped up drone and missile strikes on Ukraine and pushed further on the ground.
The Kremlin released footage of Putin shaking hands with Witkoff before their talks but gave no details of what was discussed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Washington to step up pressure on Moscow to agree to a ceasefire.
The White House has not revealed what measures it will take, but Trump has previously threatened “secondary tariffs” on Russia’s key trade partners, including China and India.
He told reporters on Tuesday he would wait for the outcome of the Moscow meeting before making a decision. “We’re going to see what happens,” Trump said.
The Kremlin dismissed the tariff threats as “illegitimate.”
Russia’s war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year, has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and destroyed large parts of the country. Moscow wants Ukraine to surrender more territory and drop Western backing, while Kyiv is insisting on an immediate ceasefire.
Zelensky last week urged allies to push for “regime change” in Moscow.
Trump recently said he had deployed two nuclear submarines “in the region” after an online spat with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, but he did not clarify whether they were nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed.
Russia responded by warning against escalation and announced it was ending a self-imposed ban on deploying nuclear-capable intermediate-range missiles, accusing the US of similar moves near its borders.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the talks with Witkoff as “important, substantial and helpful,” saying Moscow valued US efforts to end the conflict.
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