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US envoy Steve Witkoff meets Putin as Trump’s Ukraine deadline approaches US envoy Steve Witkoff meets Putin as Trump’s Ukraine deadline approaches
(about 5 hours later)
Talks between Trump’s negotiator and Russian president lasted about three hours as US pushes for peace dealTalks between Trump’s negotiator and Russian president lasted about three hours as US pushes for peace deal
Europe live – latest updates Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff spent three hours in the Kremlin talking to Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, two days before a deadline the US president set for Russia to reach a peace deal in the Ukraine war or face fresh sanctions.
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff have held talks in Moscow, the Kremlin has said, two days before a Friday deadline the US president set for Russia to reach a peace deal in the Ukraine war or face fresh sanctions. It was not immediately clear whether any agreement had been reached during the talks, which Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov described as “useful and constructive”. Ushakov said that it was only after Witkoff reported back to Trump that it would be possible to say more about the outcome of the meeting.
Russian news agencies said the talks ended after about three hours, and Witkoff’s convoy was seen leaving the Kremlin. There was no immediate statement from either side on how the talks had gone. “We sent certain messages particularly on the Ukraine issue. Some messages were also received from President Trump,” Ushakov told journalists in Moscow.
The visit is Witkoff’s fifth trip to Moscow in his capacity as Trump’s lead negotiator with the Kremlin, and comes as Trump has begun to talk tough on Russia for the first time since taking over the presidency. Reuters reported that Trump had called Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Wednesday evening, though there was no immediate statement from either Kyiv or Washington on what was discussed.
Trump cut short an earlier 50-day deadline to Putin, claiming he saw no desire in the Kremlin to change its behaviour and calling recent strikes that killed civilians in Kyiv “disgusting”. He has now promised to introduce secondary tariffs on countries that import Russian oil if no progress is made by Friday. Trump had promised to introduce secondary tariffs on countries that import Russian oil if no progress is made towards a peace by Friday. However, already on Wednesday, he issued an executive order imposing an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, citing India’s continuing imports of Russian oil.
“We have a meeting with Russia tomorrow,” Trump said on Tuesday, when asked if the threat still stood. “We’re going to see what happens. We’ll make that determination at that time.” India’s external affairs ministry said it was “extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest”.
After Trump made the threat of further sanctions, the former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev claimed the harsh rhetoric could lead to a direct conflict between Russia and the US. In response, Trump ordered two nuclear submarines to be repositioned. The tariffs are due to be implemented in 21 days and it was not immediately clear if they would be reversed should Moscow and Kyiv come to some agreement, as Trump has demanded.
Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Wednesday and was pictured taking an early morning stroll through a park in central Moscow with Kirill Dmitriev, a Kremlin envoy who has played a key role in negotiations so far. Putin has given little indication he is ready to make concessions or willing to adjust Russia’s core war aims. However, reports by Bloomberg and the independent Russian news outlet the Bell in recent days have suggested that the Kremlin could propose a halt to long-range strikes by both sides as an offering to Trump. It is not yet known if the possibility was discussed during Wednesday’s Kremlin talks.
“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. Ukraine sees the political will, appreciates the efforts of our partners, of America, and of everyone who is helping,” Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, wrote on social media on Wednesday, shortly after Witkoff landed in Moscow. Witkoff arrived in Moscow early on Wednesday and was pictured taking an early morning stroll through a park in central Moscow with Kirill Dmitriev, a Kremlin envoy who has played a key role in negotiations so far. Russian agencies reported that he left Russia early on Wednesday evening.
Putin has given little indication that he is ready to make concessions or willing to adjust Russia’s core war aims. However, reports by Bloomberg and the independent Russian news outlet the Bell have suggested that the Kremlin could propose a halt to long-range strikes by both sides as an offering to Trump. Both Trump and Kyiv have been calling for a full and unconditional ceasefire, to allow negotiations to begin, but a halt to long-range strikes could offer welcome breathing space to both sides. The visit is Witkoff’s fifth trip to Moscow in his capacity as Trump’s lead negotiator with the Kremlin, but the first since Trump began taking a tougher line on Russia. Trump previously cut short an earlier 50-day deadline to Putin, claiming he saw no desire in the Kremlin to change its behaviour and calling recent strikes that killed civilians in Kyiv “disgusting”.
“We’re going to see what happens. We’ll make that determination at that time,” Trump said on Tuesday, when asked if he was still planning harsh measures if no progress was made.
After Trump made the threat of further sanctions, the former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev claimed the harsh rhetoric could lead to a direct conflict between Russia and the US. In response, Trump issued an order for two nuclear submarines to be repositioned.
Both Trump and Kyiv have been calling for a full and unconditional ceasefire to allow negotiations to begin, but if a pause in long-range strikes is on the table it could offer welcome breathing space to both sides.
Ukraine has hit Russian energy and military infrastructure with long-range drones, and caused aviation chaos in Russia as airports are forced to close during the drone attacks.Ukraine has hit Russian energy and military infrastructure with long-range drones, and caused aviation chaos in Russia as airports are forced to close during the drone attacks.
Meanwhile, Russian missile and drone strikes against different Ukrainian cities continue on an almost nightly basis. Overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, a recreational centre in the southern Zaporizhzhia region was hit, killing two people and injuring 12, according to the regional governor, Ivan Fedorov.Meanwhile, Russian missile and drone strikes against different Ukrainian cities continue on an almost nightly basis. Overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, a recreational centre in the southern Zaporizhzhia region was hit, killing two people and injuring 12, according to the regional governor, Ivan Fedorov.
“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. Ukraine sees the political will, appreciates the efforts of our partners, of America, and of everyone who is helping,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media on Wednesday, shortly after Witkoff landed in Moscow.
On some nights Russia sends up to 500 long-range kamikaze drones into Ukraine, and 72 people have been killed in Kyiv alone since May.On some nights Russia sends up to 500 long-range kamikaze drones into Ukraine, and 72 people have been killed in Kyiv alone since May.
Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, is also expected to visit Kyiv in coming days although no firm date has yet been set for the trip.Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, is also expected to visit Kyiv in coming days although no firm date has yet been set for the trip.
On Monday, Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin was looking forward to Witkoff’s visit and valued talks with him. “We consider them important, substantive and very useful,” he said. Witkoff, a real estate lawyer, has no previous diplomatic experience, and his solo travels to Russia have alarmed some other Ukraine allies who fear he may be being played by Putin. In interviews, he has spoken warmly of the rapport he has with the Russian president and said Trump was “touched” by an oil painting of the US president given to him as a gift through Witkoff.
Witkoff, a real estate lawyer, has no previous diplomatic experience, and his solo travels to Russia have alarmed some other Ukraine allies who fear he may be being played by Putin. In interviews, he has spoken warmly of the rapport he has with the Russian president, and said Trump was “touched” by an oil painting of the US president gifted to him via Witkoff.
“This is the kind of connection that we’ve been able to re-establish through, by the way, a simple word called communication,” Witkoff said in an interview with Tucker Carlson.“This is the kind of connection that we’ve been able to re-establish through, by the way, a simple word called communication,” Witkoff said in an interview with Tucker Carlson.
Zelenskyy has said he wants to meet with Putin in a leaders’ summit moderated by either Trump or Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey to discuss a negotiated settlement, but the Kremlin has so far dismissed the idea. Instead, it has sent a low-level delegation headed by the former culture minister Vladimir Medinsky to a series of direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul. The last round of talks, in July, broke down after less than an hour.Zelenskyy has said he wants to meet with Putin in a leaders’ summit moderated by either Trump or Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey to discuss a negotiated settlement, but the Kremlin has so far dismissed the idea. Instead, it has sent a low-level delegation headed by the former culture minister Vladimir Medinsky to a series of direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul. The last round of talks, in July, broke down after less than an hour.