A high-level meeting between U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently taking place at the Kremlin. The visit comes as Washington’s deadline for Moscow to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine approaches. President Donald Trump has warned that if Russia does not act to end the ongoing war, it could face severe sanctions, including penalties on countries that continue to trade with it.
Despite these warnings, Russia has carried on with intense airstrikes across Ukraine, and expectations for a breakthrough by the end of the week remain low. Previous negotiations in Istanbul have failed to yield progress, with Russia’s demands still seen as unacceptable by Kyiv and its Western allies. Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to push for direct talks between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin, a request the Kremlin has consistently rejected.
In a show of continued support for Ukraine, the U.S. administration approved an additional $200 million dollars in military sales to the country, following a phone call between Presidents Trump and Zelensky, when they discussed expanding defense cooperation, including joint efforts on drone production..
