Trump representative Witkoff conferences with Putin in Moscow prior to Ukraine truce cutoff date
The United States and Russia are locked in high-stakes negotiations over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, with a potential summit between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin on the horizon.
On Wednesday, White House special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow, a meeting that took place ahead of President Trump's Friday deadline for Moscow to make peace with Ukraine or face severe sanctions. According to a senior administration official, the meeting "went well."
The main topics discussed in the meeting were the Ukrainian crisis and the prospect of possible strategic cooperation between the United States and Russia. Despite no tangible progress toward a ceasefire, talks between Russian and American officials will continue through the day and potentially up until Friday's deadline.
Trump has threatened to impose additional economic measures, including secondary sanctions on Russian fossil fuel export customers, if Putin fails to agree to a ceasefire. India and China, the largest potential customers for Russian fossil fuels, could be among the countries targeted by these sanctions. Trump recently imposed an additional 25% tariff on India over its purchases of Russian oil, bringing the total to 50%.
Ukraine and its European allies maintain a strong stance demanding a ceasefire or reduction in hostilities as prerequisites for meaningful negotiations. They emphasize that the peace process must respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and oppose any border changes by force. European leaders and Ukraine publicly support the US-led peace efforts, underscoring the principle that negotiations cannot proceed without Ukraine's involvement and that current frontlines should serve as a negotiation baseline.
Russia, however, remains committed to its core war aims, including preventing Ukraine's NATO accession and seeking major concessions. This makes progress toward a ceasefire challenging. Ukrainian officials have increased military pressure, such as intensified drone strikes on Russian territory, as part of their strategy to force Russia to end its aggression.
Yuri Ushakov, a top aide to Putin, described the Witkoff-Putin meeting as "a very useful and constructive conversation." President Trump suggested the meeting was "highly productive." Ushakov refrained from making detailed comments, stating that Witkoff will report to Trump about the conversation. The meeting ended after around three hours.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Witkoff after the meeting. Rubio said, "We'll have more to say about [sanctions against Moscow] later on today." Despite no immediate action on sanctions, the threat of their imposition continues to loom over the negotiations, adding tension to an already complex diplomatic situation.
- The ongoing international crisis in Ukraine is the subject of high-stakes negotiations between the United States and Russia, with a potential summit between the two leaders on the horizon.
- Secondary sanctions on international customers of Russian fossil fuels are among the economic measures that President Trump has threatened to impose if Russia fails to agree to a ceasefire.
- The peace process in Ukraine must respect its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and any negotiated settlement should oppose border changes by force, according to Ukraine and its European allies.
- The main topics discussed in the latest meeting between White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin in Moscow include the Ukrainian crisis, potential strategic cooperation between the United States and Russia, as well as policy-and-legislation and general-news related to the ongoing conflicts and politics.
