On Wednesday, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for three hours as President Trump’s shortened ceasefire deadline with Ukraine approaches and new sanctions loom.
According to The Hill, Witkoff was met at the Vnukovo airport by Putin’s envoy for investment and economic cooperation Kirill Dmitriev. After the huddle with Putin, which is Witkoff’s fifth since joining the administration, Dmitriev said on the social media platform X that “constructive” U.S.-Russia dialogue “continues and is critical for global security and peace.”
“Our side has forwarded some signals, in particular on the Ukrainian issue, and corresponding signals were received from President Trump,” Putin’s foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov added in a statement to Russian media after the meeting.
Trump’s timeline, which he cut down from 50 days, is set to expire on Friday, with the president warning that Russia could face additional tariffs and sanctions if it does not reach a ceasefire with Ukraine.
Its all brinksmanship at this point.