IRIA News

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U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff held high-level talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on August 6, 2025, just days before Trump’s deadline for a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine.

The rare meeting, which lasted approximately three hours, comes amid growing pressure from Washington and renewed Russian attacks inside Ukraine.

Trump said in a social media post that Witkoff “had a highly productive meeting” with Putin in which “great progress was made.” He also added that he updated U.S. allies in Europe about the meeting and that they will work toward an end to the Russia-Ukraine war “in the days and weeks to come.”

Kremlin described the talks as “constructive,” with Foreign Policy Adviser Yuri Ushakov stating that both sides exchanged “signals” and discussed potential areas of strategic cooperation. However, Ushakov declined to provide further details until Witkoff reports back to Trump in Washington. Russian media reported that Witkoff departed Moscow later in the afternoon after meeting President Putin.

Trump says he intends to meet Putin and Zelenskyy

U.S. President Donald Trump said he intends to meet in person with Putin as soon as next week, and also plans to hold joint meetings with both Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in the near future. When asked if Russia and Ukraine had agreed to the summit, Trump told reporters: “There’s a very good prospect that they will.”

Trump disclosed his plans on Wednesday in a call with European leaders, according to people familiar with the plan. If the meeting goes ahead as planned, it will be the first in-person summit between an American and Russian president in more than four years.

Trump’s comments came after Witkoff met with Putin. Witkoff was appointed by Trump in January to lead negotiations in Russia and the Middle East. He recently visited Gaza and Israel to provide a ground report to the U.S. President on the dire humanitarian crisis.

Trump’s ultimatum and US pressure

The meeting took place against the backdrop of a looming deadline set by President Trump, who has warned that Russia must agree to a ceasefire or face economic consequences. When asked earlier this week what Moscow could do to avoid sanctions, Trump replied: “Yeah, get a deal where people stop getting killed.”

Though the White House has yet to outline the specific measures it might take, Trump has previously threatened “secondary tariffs” on countries that continue trade with Russia, including India and China.

On Wednesday, shortly after the Moscow talks, Trump signed an executive order imposing a 25 percent tariff on goods from India in response to its ongoing imports of Russian oil. The order cited Russia’s continued aggression as a “threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”

Putin’s position unchanged

Despite the direct engagement with the U.S. envoy, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not shifted his position. He reiterated last week that while he is open to peace, his conditions remain the same: Ukraine must cede additional territory and formally abandon aspirations for NATO membership and Western military support. “We want peace,” Putin said, “but our demands remain unchanged.”

Ukrainian officials have categorically rejected those terms. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues to call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Last week, he urged Western allies to intensify pressure on the Kremlin and called for “regime change” in Moscow.

Three previous rounds of talks, held in Istanbul, have failed to produce any meaningful progress.

Russian strikes intensify in Ukraine

As diplomacy unfolded in Moscow, Russian forces launched new attacks in Ukraine. In the southern Zaporizhia region, a missile strike hit a recreational center, killing two people and injuring 12 others, including two children, according to regional Governor Ivan Fedorov.

“There is zero military sense in this strike. Only cruelty to intimidate,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram. He added, “This was a deliberate blow to our preparations for the heating season, absolutely cynical, like every Russian blow to the energy sector.”

Зараз у Запорізькому районі наші медики та рятувальники допомагають пораненим після російського удару по звичайній базі відпочинку. Дванадцять людей травмовані. Станом на зараз відомо, на жаль, про двох загиблих. Мої співчуття рідним та близьким. Військового сенсу в цьому ударі –… pic.twitter.com/1ChhboCX9L

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 6, 2025

Additional strikes targeted critical infrastructure in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, hitting facilities involved in the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States and Azerbaijan. Ukrainian officials said the attacks were designed to disrupt preparations for the upcoming winter heating season.

Mixed messaging from Moscow

While the Kremlin’s official comments on the meeting were restrained, Russian officials made efforts to frame the dialogue as a sign of potential progress. Kirill Dmitriev, a Kremlin envoy who greeted Witkoff and walked with him before the talks, posted on social media: “Dialogue will prevail.”

Still, the core issues dividing the two sides remain unresolved. Washington is demanding a ceasefire without concessions to Russia’s territorial claims, while Moscow continues to insist on conditions Kyiv and its allies view as unacceptable.

There has been no public comment from the White House on Witkoff’s meeting, and Ukrainian officials have not responded directly to the visit. It remains unclear whether any actionable proposals were discussed or whether Witkoff’s report to Trump will lead to further engagement or trigger new sanctions.

The coming days are likely to be decisive. Trump’s self-imposed deadline for Russian compliance is set for Friday. If no ceasefire is reached, Washington may move forward with broader economic measures aimed at isolating Moscow and potentially targeting its trade partners.

For now, the war grinds on. Russian airstrikes continue across multiple fronts, and diplomatic channels remain uncertain. While both sides acknowledged the meeting, neither offered evidence that a breakthrough is within reach.