Trump Envoy to Visit Moscow This Week Before Deadline for Ending

President Donald Trump is dispatching his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to Moscow on Wednesday or Thursday ahead of his self‑imposed ceasefire deadline of August 8, 2025. Witkoff’s visit comes as part of a diplomatic push to extract a commitment from Russia to halt its military campaign in Ukraine or face secondary sanctions—including potential tariffs targeting major buyers of Russian oil like China and India.

Trump initially set a 50‑day deadline in July, which he later shortened to 10–12 days before settling on August 8. The envoy’s mission is viewed by Kyiv with cautious optimism: although Witkoff has previously been criticized for amicable relations with Putin, there is hope that Trump’s recent tougher rhetoric may reflect real pressure. The Kremlin has responded that it is “always happy” to receive Witkoff and has not ruled out a meeting with President Putin, although it continues to insist on preconditions such as Ukraine withdrawing from contested regions and renouncing NATO ambitions. Meanwhile, Russia has escalated its missile and drone attacks across Ukraine, including strikes that killed 31 civilians in Kyiv, while Ukraine has intensified counterattacks—including drone strikes inside Russia—and has called for stronger sanctions to deter future aggression.

In the event that Moscow fails to concede by Friday, U.S. officials and Ukrainian aides anticipate the U.S. may implement “irreversible logistics” of sanctions and potentially ramp up military support for Kyiv.

Source: The Guardian, ABC News, AP News