Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow yesterday, the Kremlin said, days before the White House’s deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or potentially face severe economic penalties that could also hit countries buying its oil.
The Kremlin did not immediately provide more details of the meeting.
Earlier, Witkoff took an early-morning stroll through Zaryadye Park, near the Kremlin in Moscow, with Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president’s envoy for investment and economic cooperation, footage aired by TASS showed.
Photo: EPA / Gavriil Grigorov / Sputnik / Kremlin Pool
Dmitriev played a key role in three rounds of direct talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul, Turkey, in the past few months, as well as discussions between Russian and US officials.
Trump’s deadline for Putin ends tomorrow. Washington has threatened “severe tariffs” and other economic penalties if the war does not stop.
Trump has expressed increasing frustration with Putin over Russia’s escalating strikes on civilian areas of Ukraine.
Overnight from Tuesday to yesterday, Russian forces hit a recreational center in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, killing two people and injuring 12, including two children, Zaporizhzhia Governor Ivan Fedorov said yesterday.
On Tuesday, Trump said “we’ll see what happens” regarding his threat to slap tariffs on nations that buy Russian oil, which could increase import taxes dramatically on China and India.
“We have a meeting with Russia tomorrow,” Trump said. “We’re going to see what happens. We’ll make that determination at that time.”
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