Trump announces date of Witkoff's visit to Russia
Photo: US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff (Getty Images)
US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff will visit Russia this week.
US President Donald Trump announced this during a conversation with journalists.
Journalists asked Trump what would happen on Friday, August 8, if Russia refused to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine.
"Well, there will be sanctions, but they seem to be pretty good at avoiding sanctions. You know, they’re characters and quite good at dodging sanctions. So we’ll see what happens," Trump said.
He also noted that Witkoff is currently focused on the Gaza Strip issues but might still travel to Russia.
"He may be going, I think next week, Wednesday or Thursday (August 6 and 7 – ed.), maybe going to Russia. They would like to see him. They've asked that he meet. So we’ll see what happens," Trump said.
Trump's deadline for Russia
Trump recently shortened the deadline for Russia to reach a peace with Ukraine to just 10 days. The new deadline expires on August 8. Despite the US president’s statements, the Kremlin has declared its intention to continue the aggressive war.
Trump also stated that Steve Witkoff would visit Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin and did not rule out the possibility of new sanctions against Russia.
US Ambassador to NATO Whitaker claimed that Witkoff had already visited Moscow on Sunday, August 3. In his opinion, the visit must yield results.
