LONDON — President Donald Trump’s particular envoy Steve Witkoff was greeted by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday forward of anticipated talks, the Kremlin stated in a brief assertion.
Witkoff was met on his arrival in Moscow by Kirill Dmitriev — the top of the Russian Direct Funding Fund — on the capital’s Vnukovo Airport, in keeping with state media businesses Tass and Interfax.
On this pool {photograph} distributed by the Russian state company Sputnik, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin greets U.S. Particular Envoy Steve Witkoff previous to their talks in Moscow on Aug. 6, 2025.
Gavriil Grigorov/Pool/AFP Through Getty Pictures
The go to is Witkoff’s fifth to Moscow since Trump took workplace, with the particular envoy on the forefront of White Home efforts to finish Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which started in February 2022.
A supply aware of Witkoff’s plans advised ABC Information on Tuesday that the particular envoy was anticipated to carry conferences with Russian management on Wednesday.
Tass reported that Witkoff and Dmitriev walked within the Zaryadye Park in central Moscow earlier than Witkoff’s convoy traveled to the Kremlin.
Witkoff was final in Moscow on Apr. 25, when he met with Russian Putin on the Kremlin.
A motorcade, reportedly transporting U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, leaves Vnukovo Airport in Moscow, Russia, on August 6, 2025.
Yulia Morozova/Reuters
Final month, Trump stated he would impose extra financial measures — together with secondary sanctions on Russian fossil gas export clients, the most important of that are India and China — if Putin didn’t comply with a ceasefire by Aug. 8.
Trump cited Russia’s continued drone and missile strikes on Ukraine when issuing his ultimatum to the Kremlin, which was initially set at 50 days however later shortened to solely 10 days. In July, Russia set a brand new month-to-month document for long-range assaults on Ukraine, per information from the Ukrainian air pressure, firing 6,443 drones and missiles into the nation.
Ukraine is backing the U.S. demand for a right away ceasefire, after which negotiations as to a full peace deal can happen. On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated he “coordinated” positions with Trump in a cellphone dialog.
“Right now, we coordinated our positions — Ukraine and the USA,” Zelenskyy wrote in a put up to X. “We exchanged assessments of the scenario: The Russians have intensified the brutality of their assaults. President Trump is totally knowledgeable about Russian strikes on Kyiv and different cities and communities.”
On Monday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated Russia was open to extra conferences with Witkoff. “The dialogue continues and the USA continues its efforts to mediate within the seek for a Ukrainian settlement,” he stated, as quoted by Tass.
“These efforts are essential, together with within the context of the continued strategy of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations,” Peskov stated. “Work is continuous, and we stay dedicated to the concept a political and diplomatic answer to the Ukrainian drawback is, after all, our most well-liked possibility.”
This can be a growing story. Please test again for updates.
ABC Information’ Joe Simonetti, Shannon Okay. Kingston, Yuriy Zaliznyak and Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.
