Russian President, Vladimir Putin, held talks with U.S Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Wednesday, just two days before a sanctions deadline set by U.S President Donald Trump over Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
The Kremlin released footage of the meeting, showing Putin greeting Witkoff in the Kremlin, though no details were shared about the discussion.
The high-stakes visit comes amid mounting global pressure on Moscow to halt its military campaign in Ukraine, now entering its fourth year.
President Trump, who has repeatedly claimed he could end the war “within 24 hours,” has given Russia until Friday to make tangible progress toward a peace deal.
Failure to do so could trigger new U.S sanctions, including “secondary tariffs” targeting Russia’s major trade partners such as India and China, a move that could disrupt global markets.
“We’re going to see what happens,” Trump told reporters Tuesday.
“We’ll make that determination at that time.”
The Kremlin, while not directly naming Trump, dismissed the threat of increased tariffs as “illegitimate.”
Despite three prior rounds of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul, no breakthrough has been reached.
Meanwhile, Russian forces have intensified their assault, launching a record number of drone and missile strikes and pushing deeper into Ukrainian territory.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian officials reported a deadly nighttime shelling of a holiday camp in Zaporizhzhia, where two civilians were killed and at least 10 others injured.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to Witkoff’s visit with renewed calls for stronger Western intervention.
“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,” Zelensky wrote on social media.
“Ukraine sees the political will, appreciates the efforts of our partners, of America, and of everyone who is helping.”
The diplomatic visit also comes amid growing nuclear tensions.
Trump recently said he had deployed two nuclear submarines to the region in response to online remarks made by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
The U.S. president didn’t clarify whether the submarines were nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed, nor their exact location.
Reacting to this, Moscow urged restraint and on Monday announced it was ending its moratorium on nuclear-capable intermediate-range missiles, a move that could heighten global security concerns.
While Moscow insists that any peace agreement must include Ukraine ceding additional territory and renouncing Western alliances, Kyiv maintains its call for an immediate ceasefire. Zelensky recently went further, urging allies to support “regime change” in Moscow.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the meeting with Witkoff as “important, substantial and helpful,” emphasizing that Russia values Washington’s efforts to find a resolution despite the rising diplomatic strain between both nations.
