Trump’s envoy heads to Russia for last chance of Ukraine ceasefire talks

The 10-day ceasefire deadline issued by U.S. President Donald Trump to Russia is set to expire on Friday, as the countdown nears its end.

Trump announced on Sunday that his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will travel to Moscow later this week—on either Wednesday or Thursday—in an effort to secure a ceasefire deal. “Where people stop getting killed,” Trump said, describing his goal for the talks.

Witkoff’s upcoming visit comes amid growing frustration inside the White House. Despite six months of diplomatic efforts under Trump’s leadership, a ceasefire—or a broader peace deal—has yet to materialise since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Last month, Trump issued a 50-day warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin, threatening new sanctions and tariffs, including secondary sanctions aimed at major buyers of Russian energy such as China and India, if a ceasefire wasn’t reached.

Last week, Trump narrowed the window to just 10 days, pointing to ongoing Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian territory. That deadline ends this Friday.

Russia has acknowledged the possibility of the visit. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday, “We are always happy to see Mr. Witkoff in Moscow and are always happy to have contact. We consider these contacts important, meaningful and very useful.”

Peskov added, “The dialogue continues and the United States continues its efforts to mediate in the search for a Ukrainian settlement. These efforts are very important, including in the context of the ongoing process of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations. Work is continuing, and we remain committed to the idea that a political and diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian problem is, of course, our preferred option.”

According to Russian news agency Tass, Peskov also said President Putin would be open to meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy once “preparatory work” at the “expert level” is completed. Kyiv has called for such a meeting several times, though Moscow has not agreed.

Ukraine continues to support the U.S. call for an immediate ceasefire, saying that negotiations can follow if the fighting stops. On Monday, Zelenskyy posted on Telegram calling for stronger action from Western allies.

“The world has enough power to stop this and protect people,” Zelenskyy wrote. “We rely on strong decisions from the U.S., Europe and the world regarding secondary sanctions on trade in Russian energy resources, on Moscow’s banking sector.”

Andriy Kovalenko, who leads Ukraine’s Counter-Disinformation Center, suggested on Telegram that Witkoff’s visit might be Russia’s “last chance to stop the war.” He added, “If the visit is not successful, there will be sanctions.”

Still, not everyone in Ukraine is convinced that major consequences will follow. Oleksandr Merezhko, a member of Zelenskyy’s party and head of the parliament’s foreign affairs committee, told ABC News he doesn’t expect Trump to go as far as sanctioning China and India.

“My guess is that Trump might impose some kind of tariffs, which won’t stop China and India from buying Russian oil and gas,” Merezhko said.

“The key problem is how to deny Russia revenues for selling its oil and gas to China and India, who are the biggest buyers. On the one hand, Trump doesn’t want to look weak, yet on the other hand, he doesn’t want to spoil relations with China and India by imposing serious sanctions.”

Tensions between Washington and Moscow rose further last week as the ceasefire deadline approached. Trump exchanged public criticism with Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president and current deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council.

Medvedev dismissed Trump’s ultimatum as “a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country.”

In response, Trump ordered two nuclear submarines to deploy to what he described as “appropriate regions,” citing Medvedev’s “highly provocative statements.” Medvedev is known for taking a particularly hardline stance in the Kremlin’s security leadership.

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