Trump's envoy Witkoff meets Putin as ceasefire deadline looms

[ad_1] US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russia's Vladimir Putin have met on the Kremlin, as Donald Trump's deadline for Moscow to agree a ceasefire in Ukraine looms.

The talks lasted three hours, Russian media report, after Witkoff landed in Russia early on Wednesday.

The US president has mentioned Russia may face hefty sanctions or see secondary sanctions imposed towards all those that commerce with it if it does not take steps to finish the "horrible warfare" with Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, has warned that Russia would solely make critical strikes in direction of peace if it started to expire of cash. He welcomed the specter of more durable US sanctions and tariffs on nations shopping for Russian oil.

In photographs shared by Russian retailers, the 2 males - who've met a number of instances earlier than - had been seen smiling and shaking palms in a gilded corridor.

Expectations are muted for a settlement by Friday, and Russia has continued its large-scale air assaults on Ukraine regardless of Trump's threats of sanctions.

Earlier than taking workplace in January, Trump claimed he would have the ability to finish the warfare between Russia and Ukraine in a day. He failed and has since grown impatient at a scarcity of tangible progress, along with his rhetoric in direction of Russia hardening.

"We thought we had [the war] settled quite a few instances, after which President Putin goes out and begins launching rockets into some metropolis like Kyiv and kills lots of people in a nursing house or no matter," he mentioned final month.

Three rounds of talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul have did not deliver the warfare nearer to and finish, three-and-a-half years after Moscow launched its full-invasion.

Moscow's navy and political preconditions for peace stay unacceptable to Kyiv and to its Western companions. The Kremlin has additionally repeatedly turned down Kyiv's requests for a gathering between Zelensky and Putin.

In the meantime, the US administration accredited $200m of extra navy gross sales to Ukraine on Tuesday following a telephone name between Zelensky and Trump, during which the 2 leaders additionally mentioned defence cooperation and drone manufacturing.

Ukraine has been utilizing drones to hit Russia's refineries and vitality services, whereas Moscow has targeted its air assaults on Ukraine's cities.

The Kyiv Metropolis Army Administration mentioned the toll of an assault on town final week rose to 32 after a person died of his accidents. The strike was the deadliest on Kyiv for the reason that begin of the invasion.

Ukrainian authorities on Wednesday reported {that a} Russian assault on a vacation camp within the central area of Zaporizhzhia left two lifeless and 12 wounded.