A Moscow Diplomatic Chance!
Moscow, Aug. 6 (EFE).-
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with White House special envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday in Moscow, just before the deadline imposed by the United States (US) President Donald Trump to end the war in Ukraine expired.
It was the fifth meeting between Putin and Witkoff in 2025 — the last one took place in April — and the Russian leader still has not accepted the demand to declare a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Television footage shows Putin and Witkoff shaking hands in the Kremlin in the presence of Yuri Ushakov, advisor to the Russian President on foreign policy issues.
On Jul. 29, Trump announced that he would impose sanctions on Russia and its trading partners if no agreement was reached on the war in Ukraine, reducing the deadline from 50 days to 10.
“Well there will be sanctions but they seem to be pretty good at avoiding sanctions. You know, they’re wily characters and they’re pretty good at avoiding sanctions. So we’ll see what happens,” he said.
The international press speculates that Russia would be willing to suspend airstrikes but not the ground offensive in Donbas and on Ukraine’s northern border.
Trump has threatened sanctions against Moscow and secondary tariffs against importers of Russian oil, including India and China, if the White House is not satisfied with the agreement on Ukraine. EFE mos/vm
