US President Donald Trump has announced that he will send his special envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow later this week, ahead of a Friday deadline by which he expects progress in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. If that doesn't happen, Trump has threatened to impose new sanctions on Russia, wrote The Guardian.
"Yeah, make a deal where people stop dying," Trump replied Sunday when asked what Witkoff had to negotiate in Moscow and what Vladimir Putin could do to avoid sanctions.
While there is little expectation in Kiev that Witkoff will achieve a breakthrough, Trump's new rhetoric and tougher stance toward Moscow raise hopes of increased US support for Ukraine. While Trump believed he could reach a deal with Putin after taking office, he appears increasingly frustrated with Russia's actions in recent weeks. He recently called Russia's attacks on civilian targets "disgusting" and confirmed the deployment of two US nuclear submarines in response to Dmitry Medvedev's threats.
Trump originally announced a 50-day deadline for ending the war, but last week shortened it to "10 or 12 days", i.e. by Friday, August 8. If no progress is made, he plans so-called secondary sanctions that would also hit Russia's trading partners, including China and India.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, said that in the event of Russian inaction, Kiev expects to trigger "irreversible logistics" of sanctions targeting Russian oil exports. "Then Trump will evaluate whether it helps end the war, and if not, he'll move on to the next steps," he said in an interview in Kiev.
The next steps could be new sanctions and more military support for Ukraine. "Trump has already said he is ready to sell as many weapons to Europe as he wants [for Ukraine]. He's never said that before... It's a different idea of the world." Podoljak added.
Witkoff used to maintain friendly relations with Putin during his visits to Moscow - once he received a picture of Trump from him, another time he arrived without an interpreter and relied on a translator from the Kremlin. This raises doubts about his ability to deliver a tough message to Moscow. The upcoming visit, however, will be the first since Trump tightened his rhetoric.
The Kremlin confirmed on Monday that it is "always happy to welcome Mr Witkoff to Moscow" and that a meeting with Putin is possible.
While Putin said on Friday that he supports a "lasting and stable peace", he insists on controlling four Ukrainian regions and permanently blocking Ukraine's entry into NATO. Direct talks between Russia and Ukraine are underway in Turkey, but so far without result - the latest round ended within the hour. The only tangible results so far have been prisoner exchanges, including 1,200 Ukrainian soldiers.
Zelensky has repeatedly expressed interest in meeting directly with Putin, with the participation of Trump or Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. But Putin insists there is no point in a meeting without a preliminary ceasefire proposal.
The Guardian/gnews.cz - GH
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