As the deadline for new sanctions related to the Ukraine war approaches, U.S. Ambassador Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Wednesday and is scheduled to meet with Russian officials, according to Russian state media.
President Donald Trump has given Russia until Friday to halt its assault on Ukraine or face new punitive measures. The White House has not yet specified what actions will be taken, but Trump has previously threatened “secondary tariffs” targeting Russia’s remaining trade partners, such as China and India.
The aim of this move is to choke off Russian exports, though it carries the risk of serious international disruption. On Tuesday, Trump said he would wait to see the outcome of talks in Moscow before proceeding with any economic retaliation. “We’ll see what happens,” he told reporters. “We’ll make that decision at that time.”
Upon arriving in Moscow, Witkoff was welcomed by Kirill Dmitriev, the President’s special envoy, according to Russian state news agency TASS. A U.S. source declined to confirm whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would be involved in the meetings. Witkoff has previously met with Putin several times.
Despite mounting pressure from Washington, Russia has continued its offensive against its pro-Western neighbor, Ukraine. A three-stage peace negotiation process held in Istanbul has failed to make progress toward a potential ceasefire, and the two sides now appear further apart than ever. Moscow has demanded that Ukraine cede more territory and abandon Western support. Kyiv, meanwhile, has called for an immediate ceasefire, and last week Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged his allies to pressure Moscow for “regime change.”
Nuclear Rhetoric
In light of Russia’s ongoing aggression, Trump has voiced increasing frustration with Putin in recent weeks. On Monday, when asked by reporters what message Vitkoff was bringing to Moscow and whether Russia could do anything to avoid sanctions, Trump replied, “Yes — make a deal where people stop getting killed.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Moscow considered talks with Vitkoff to be “important, substantial, and constructive,” and that it appreciated U.S. efforts to help end the conflict. However, Putin — who has consistently rejected calls for a ceasefire — stated on Friday that while he wants peace, his demands to end the nearly three-and-a-half-year offensive remain unchanged.
Russia has repeatedly called for Ukraine to hand over control of four regions that Moscow claims to have annexed — a demand Kyiv has rejected outright. Putin also wants Ukraine to abandon its ambition to join NATO.
Witkoff’s visit follows a heated online exchange between Trump and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, after which Trump announced that two nuclear submarines were now “in the region.” He did not clarify whether these were nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed submarines, nor did he specify their exact location, which remains classified by the U.S. military.
In its first response to the deployment, Russia on Monday urged “caution.” “Russia is deeply committed to nuclear non-proliferation, and we believe everyone must be very, very careful with nuclear rhetoric,” said Kremlin spokesman Peskov.
