MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin held “constructive” talks with United States envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Aug 6, the Kremlin said, two days ahead of a US deadline for Russia to halt its Ukraine offensive or face fresh sanctions.
Witkoff met Putin for around three hours on a last-minute mission to seek a breakthrough in the three-and-a-half-year conflict. Russian state TV showed a brief clip of the US envoy shaking hands with Putin at the start of their meeting.
US President Donald Trump, increasingly frustrated with Putin over the lack of progress toward peace, has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on countries that buy Russian exports.
“A quite useful and constructive conversation took place,” Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told journalists after the meeting.
The two sides exchanged “signals” on the Ukraine issue and discussed the possibility of developing strategic cooperation between Moscow and Washington, Ushakov said.
Russian investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev posted on social media that “Dialogue will prevail”.
Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said on Aug 6 that a complete ceasefire and a leaders’ summit are needed.
Putin is unlikely to bow to Trump’s sanctions ultimatum because he believes he is winning the conflict, and as his military goals take precedence over the desire to improve relations with the US, three sources close to the Kremlin told Reuters.
“The visit of Witkoff is a last-ditch effort to find a face-saving solution for both sides,” said Gerhard Mangott, an Austrian analyst and member of a group of Western academics and journalists who have met regularly with Putin over the years.
“I don’t think, however, that there will be anything of a compromise between the two.
“Russia will insist it is prepared to have a ceasefire, but (only) under the conditions that it has formulated for the last two or three years already,” he told Reuters in a telephone interview.
Trump said on Aug 6 in a post on Truth Social that Witkoff “had a highly productive meeting” with Putin. “Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come,” he added.
Trump intends to meet in person with Putin as early as next week and plans to follow up shortly afterward with a trilateral meeting involving Zelensky, Xinhua reported.
During a call with leaders of Britain, Germany, Finland and NATO plus Zelensky on Aug 6, Trump said the meetings would include only himself, Putin, and Zelensky.
The call also included US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Witkoff.
Zelensky said on Aug 5 that he had a “productive” conversation with Trump on ending the conflict, sanctions on Russia and the finalization of a US-Ukraine drone deal.
