Witkoff in Moscow before US deadline for ceasefire in Ukraine expires

2025-08-06 08:23:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The United States special envoy, Steve Witkoff, arrived in Moscow on August 6, where he is expected to meet with senior Russian officials.

The US envoy's visit comes just two days before the deadline the White House has set for Russia to make progress towards a ceasefire with Ukraine expires.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on Russian exports and secondary sanctions on countries that continue to buy oil from Russia - measures aimed at increasing pressure on Moscow to end the war that began in February 2022.

The secondary measures, according to US officials, would primarily target China and India – the largest buyers of Russian oil.

After Witkoff's trip to Moscow began, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine had proposed to Russia "calm in the sky" - no missile or drone attacks, and no strikes on civilian or energy infrastructure.

Trump, who has recently expressed increasing displeasure with Putin, warned last week that "there will be sanctions, but they seem to be pretty good at avoiding them."

Trump also said he would "significantly" increase tariffs on India, due to the country's continued purchases of Russian oil.

Asked on August 3 what message Witkoff would convey to Moscow and whether Russia could avoid sanctions, Trump replied curtly: "Yes, make a deal that stops the killings."

The Kremlin has given few details about the visit. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on August 4 that “we always welcome Mr. Witkoff in Moscow... This is an important and useful contact.”

In another statement to the Russian TASS agency, Peskov said that improving US-Russia relations will take time, due to "inertia" and the lack of direct meetings between presidents Putin and Trump.

President Trump announced on July 14 that he had given Russia 50 days to end the war in Ukraine or face tough tariffs on Russian exports. He later moved the deadline forward to August 8.

The new deadline came during a period of heavy attacks in Ukraine. On July 31, more than 300 Russian drones struck Kiev, killing at least 31 people. Ukrainian forces have also increased attacks on Russian infrastructure.

Some analysts warn that threats to China over its oil imports from Russia could backfire and lead to rising global energy prices.

However, according to political analyst Alexander Morozov of Charles University in Prague, the United States wants any decision to be made before Putin's planned visit to Beijing, where he is expected to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

"The United States aims to enter the APEC summit on October 31 with a trade deal with China and, ideally, with a common position on the war in Ukraine," Morozov said./ REL