Trump declares date of Witkoff’s trip to Moscow
(MENAFN) U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will travel to Moscow “next week,” likely on Wednesday or Thursday, in a renewed push to negotiate a ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict. The visit comes just days before Trump’s 10-day deadline for Russia to agree to a peace deal expires.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump emphasized that Witkoff’s mission is centered on halting the violence. When asked what message the envoy would deliver, Trump responded, “Get a deal where people stop getting killed.” He also warned that new sanctions are on the table, although he acknowledged that Russia has historically been skilled at evading such measures.
Trump claimed the visit was requested by Moscow, though the Kremlin has not publicly confirmed this. The envoy’s full itinerary remains undisclosed, and it is unclear whether he will meet directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This latest development follows Trump’s decision to reduce his original 50-day peace negotiation window to just 10 days, warning that failure to reach an agreement by August 8 would lead to severe consequences—including 100% tariffs and secondary sanctions targeting Russia’s trade partners, such as China and India.
Despite Trump's efforts, Moscow has remained firm on its negotiating stance. President Putin reiterated on Friday that any peace deal must recognize the current territorial situation and include guarantees of Ukrainian neutrality and a formal rejection of NATO membership.
The Kremlin has long characterized the Ukraine conflict as a Western-led proxy war and accused the U.S. of imposing its own peace terms while continuing to supply arms to Kiev. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed Trump’s sanction threats, suggesting that Russia has built up “immunity” after years of economic pressure from the West.
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