U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff landed in Moscow on Wednesday for talks that could include President Vladimir Putin, as Washington warns it will impose fresh sanctions if Russia fails to accept a Ukraine ceasefire by Friday.
Witkoff was met at Vnukovo airport by Kremlin investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian official told Reuters. The Kremlin has “not ruled out” a meeting between the U.S. envoy and Putin, raising the stakes of a last-minute bid to halt the 3½-year war.
President Donald Trump said last week that Moscow must agree to a ceasefire or face new U.S. measures, including heavy tariffs on countries buying Russian oil—chiefly India and China. “This visit is a final attempt to find a face-saving solution for both sides,” Austrian analyst Gerhard Mangott said in a telephone interview.
Three sources close to the Kremlin told Reuters that Putin is unlikely to accept the ultimatum, believing Russian forces hold the battlefield advantage and that additional sanctions will do little damage after successive rounds of penalties.
Russian officials insist they are ready for a ceasefire only under conditions long set out by Moscow, while the White House says any deal must respect Ukraine’s sovereignty. Trump has given no details of the tariffs he threatens to impose if Friday’s deadline passes without agreement.
The envoy’s arrival comes as Western capitals debate how far to tighten economic pressure on Russia, whose oil exports still generate more than $400 billion (about £310 billion) in annual revenue, according to the International Energy Agency.
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