Special envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Russia to discuss Ukraine just ahead of the US president’s self-imposed sanctions deadline
US President Donald Trump has confirmed that his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will visit Moscow “next week,” just days before his 10-day ultimatum for Russia to reach a peace agreement with Ukraine expires.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump said the trip would “likely” take place on Wednesday or Thursday, after a previously announced visit over the weekend did not occur. He did not elaborate on Witkoff’s full schedule but indicated that the envoy’s mission was focused on bringing about a ceasefire.
“Yeah, get a deal where people stop getting killed,” Trump said, when asked what message Witkoff would deliver to Russian officials and whether Moscow could do anything at this point to avoid new sanctions.
“Well, there’ll be sanctions, but they seem to be pretty good at avoiding sanctions. You know, they are wily characters, and they’re pretty good at avoiding sanctions,” he added.
The US president claimed that Moscow “asked” for Witkoff’s visit, but the Kremlin has yet to comment on the reports.
Trump’s remarks come amid his growing frustration with Russia over the ongoing Ukraine conflict he had pledged to resolve within 24 hours upon returning to office. Last week, he shortened his original 50-day window for peace talks to just ten days, warning that failure to reach a settlement by August 8 would trigger harsh penalties, including potential 100% tariffs and so-called “secondary sanctions” targeting Russia’s remaining trade partners, such as China and India.
The White House has not disclosed whether Witkoff is expected to meet directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two men have previously held multiple meetings in Moscow, though diplomatic progress has remained elusive.
Russia has repeatedly expressed willingness to engage in talks but maintains that any peace agreement must reflect “new territorial realities.” Speaking on Friday, Putin reiterated that Moscow’s conditions – including Ukrainian neutrality and renouncing NATO aspirations – remain unchanged.
Moscow views the Ukraine conflict as a Western-orchestrated proxy war and has accused Washington of trying to dictate peace terms while continuing to arm Kiev. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has downplayed Trump’s threat of new sanctions, noting that Russia has developed “immunity” after years of economic restrictions.
