Russian President Vladimir Putin held discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Wednesday, the Kremlin said, days before the White House’s deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or potentially face severe economic penalties that could also hit countries buying its oil.
The Kremlin didn’t instantly give further details of the meeting. Earlier on, Witkoff took an early morning walk through Zaryadye Park, not too far from the Kremlin, with Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian chairman’s envoy for investment and economic cooperation, footage covered by TASS showed.
Dmitriev played a crucial part in three rounds of direct discussions between delegations from Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul in recent months, as well as conversations between Russian and U.S. officers. The discussions have made no progress on ending the three-year war following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Trump’s deadline for Putin ends this Friday. Washington has issued warnings on “ severe tariffs ” and other economic penalties if the killing doesn’t come to an end.
Trump has expressed frustration with Putin over Russia’s consistent strikes on civil areas of Ukraine, aimed at eroding morale and causing public appetite for war. The consistent attacks keep occurring even as Trump has urged the Russian leader in recent months to stop.
All through the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, Russian forces hit a recreational center in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia area, killing two people and injuring 12, including two children, indigenous Gov. Ivan Fedorov said Wednesday.
Russian forces launched at least four strikes in the area and originally attacked with glide bombs.
“There’s zero military sense in this strike. Only brutality is to intimidate, ” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram.
Western observers and Ukrainian officers say Putin is stalling for time and avoiding serious conversations while Russian forces push to capture more Ukrainian lands. A Russian attack that started in the spring and is anticipated to continue through the fall is advancing faster than last year’s drive, but is making only slow and expensive gains and is unable to take any major city.
The situation on the frontline is crucial for Ukrainian forces, but defenses aren’t about to collapse, experts say.
On Tuesday, Trump said, “We’ll see what happens ” regarding his words to invoke tariffs on nations that buy Russian oil, which could increase import levies dramatically on China and India.
“We’ve a meeting with Russia on Thursday,” Trump said. “We’re going to see what happens. We’ll make that decision at that time.”
The president said he has not openly committed to a specific tariff rate.
Stepping up diplomatic and economic pressure on the Kremlin, the dangers of boosting multinational pressures amid degenerating Russia-U.S. relations.
The Washington-based Center for European Policy Analysis issued a warning in an assessment this week that there are“ clear signs that the Kremlin is preparing for a bigger confrontation with NATO,” including a military build-up along Russia’s western border with alliance countries in recent times.
Putin has given no hint that he might be ready to make concessions. Rather, he talked up the country’s military strength.
Putin declared last week that Russia’s new hypersonic missile, which he says can not be intercepted by current NATO air defense systems, is now in service.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in the meantime, advised that the Ukraine war could bring Russia and the U.S. into a fortified conflict. Trump responded to that by commanding the repositioning of two U.S. nuclear submarines.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Monday honoured Witkoff’s visit. “ We consider(discussions with Witkoff) important, substantial, and very useful, ” he said.
Trump originally gave Moscow a 50-day deadline, but later moved up his claim as the Kremlin continued to bomb Ukrainian cities.
Still, Trump himself doubted their effectiveness, saying on Sunday that Russia has proven to be “good enough at avoiding sanctions.”
“They’re cunny characters,” he said of the Russians.
The Kremlin has claimed that international warrants imposed since its February 2022 invasion of its neighbor have had minimal impact.
Ukraine maintains the warrants are taking their toll on Moscow’s war machine and wants Western allies to ramp them up.
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