US envoy Steve Witkoff has engaged in discussions with Russia’s Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, coinciding with the approaching deadline set by Donald Trump for Moscow to reach a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine.
According to reports from Russian media, the discussions extended for three hours following Witkoff’s arrival in Russia early Wednesday morning.
The President of the United States has warned that Russia may encounter significant sanctions or face secondary sanctions targeting all entities that engage in trade with it, should it fail to take action to conclude the “horrible war” in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has issued a stark warning, suggesting that Russia may only pursue meaningful peace negotiations when it faces financial constraints. He expressed a positive reception to the prospect of stricter US sanctions and tariffs imposed on countries purchasing Russian oil.
Images circulated by Russian media depict the two men, who have previously met on multiple occasions, smiling and shaking hands in an opulent hall.
Anticipation for a settlement by Friday remains low, as Russia persists with its extensive air assaults on Ukraine, undeterred by Trump’s warnings of sanctions.
Before assuming office in January, Trump asserted that he could resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine within a single day. He has experienced failure and has since become increasingly impatient due to a perceived lack of tangible progress, leading to a hardening of his rhetoric towards Russia.
“We believed we had reached a resolution on multiple occasions, yet President Putin proceeds to launch rockets into cities such as Kyiv, resulting in significant casualties, including those in a nursing home,” he stated last month.
Three rounds of negotiations held in Istanbul between Ukraine and Russia have not succeeded in advancing towards a resolution of the conflict, now three and a half years since Moscow initiated its full-scale invasion.
The military and political conditions set forth by Moscow for peace are deemed unacceptable by Kyiv and its Western allies. The Kremlin has consistently rejected Kyiv’s proposals for a meeting between President Zelensky and President Putin.
On Tuesday, the US administration greenlit an additional $200 million in military sales to Ukraine. This decision came after a phone conversation between President Zelensky and former President Trump, during which they also addressed topics related to defence cooperation and drone production.
Ukraine has deployed drones to target Russia’s refineries and energy infrastructure, whereas Moscow has concentrated its aerial assaults on urban areas in Ukraine.
The Kyiv City Military Administration has reported that the death toll from last week’s attack on the city has increased to 32, following the death of an individual from injuries sustained during the incident. The recent strike marks the most lethal attack on Kyiv since the onset of the invasion.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian authorities confirmed that a Russian strike on a holiday camp in the central Zaporizhzhia region resulted in two fatalities and 12 injuries.
This attack lacks any military rationale. Zelensky remarked, “It’s simply cruel to instil fear in people.”
