Witkoff meets Putin ahead of Trump's Ukraine ceasefire deadline
Witkoff was met at the Vnukovo International Airport by Putin's envoy for investment and economic cooperation Kirill Dmitriev. After the huddle with Putin, which is Witkoff's fifth since joining the administration, Dmitriev said on the social media platform X that 'constructive' U.S.-Russia dialogue 'continues and is critical for global security and peace.'
'Our side has forwarded some signals, in particular on the Ukrainian issue, and corresponding signals were received from President Trump,' Putin's foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov added in a statement to Russian media after the meeting.
Witkoff's meeting with Russian officials 'went well.'
'The Russians are eager to continue engaging with the United States. The secondary sanctions are still expected to be implemented on Friday,' A senior Trump official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Hill.
Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said his special envoy had a 'highly productive' meeting with the Russian leader.
'Great progress was made! Afterwards, I updated some of our European Allies. Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come,' he wrote.
The president's timeline, which he cut down from 50 days, is set to expire Friday, with the president warning Russia could face additional tariffs and sanctions if it does not reach a ceasefire with Ukraine.
Witkoff's previous meetings with the Kremlin leader have lasted multiple hours and helped chart a path for Americans who were jailed in Russia to be released, but they have not led to an ending to the nearly three-and-a-half-year war in Eastern Europe.
The president has expressed increased frustration with Putin in recent weeks as progress toward a peace deal has stalled. Trump has also warned other nations, including India, of increased tariffs for buying Russian goods. Both India and China are major buyers of Russian oil, which has helped keep the Kremlin's economy above water.
After Witkoff's meeting with Putin, Trump signed an executive order, raising tariffs on India by 25 percent over Russian oil purchases.
When asked about the tariff threat on Tuesday, Trump told reporters, 'We'll see what happens' after Witkoff's meeting with Putin.
'We're going to see what happens,' the president said. 'We'll make that determination at that time.'
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Witkoff is on his way back to the U.S. and that the two diplomats spoke over the phone about the meeting.
'We'll have some other discussions throughout the day, and then hopefully there'll be some announcements here fairly soon,' Rubio said. 'Maybe positive, maybe not. We'll see.'
Russian military attacks on Ukraine have continued despite Trump's calls, with the military striking, at times, civilian areas.
The Russian military struck a recreational center in the Zaporizhzhia region overnight, according to Ukrainian officials. At least two people have been confirmed dead, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday morning on X, adding that Russia attacked a gas facility in Novosilske and a power grid in the Dnipro region.
'No matter what the Kremlin says, they will only genuinely seek to end the war once they feel adequate pressure,' wrote Zelensky, who spoke with Trump on the phone Tuesday. 'And right now, it is very important to strengthen all the levers in the arsenal of the United States, Europe, and the G7 so that a ceasefire truly comes into effect immediately.'
Trump said last week that he moved two 'nuclear' submarines closer to Russia's coast in response to escalating rhetoric from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
Updated at 1:12 p.m. EDT.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump Hides Obama, Bush Portraits in Obscure White House Stairwell
Apparently Donald Trump doesn't want the public to see reminders of his immediate predecessors when they visit the White House. Portraits of former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and George H.W. Bush have been relocated from prominent public display to the top of a staircase that few people can access, CNN reported. According to two CNN sources familiar with the matter, Trump ordered staff to put Obama's portrait at the top of the Grand Staircase that leads to the White House residence, an area only a few White House staff and Secret Service agents can access. One of those sources also said that both Bush portraits now reside in the same staircase. This counters decades of precedent and White House protocol that historically has placed recent former presidents' portraits in places of prominence visible to guests and visitors. This is the second time Trump has relocated Obama's portrait. The first time, he moved it from one side of the White House Grand Foyer to another. In its place, Trump put a painting of himself raising his fist after the assassination attempt in Butler, Penn. The moving of the portraits may reflect Trump's anger with Obama and the Bushes. George W. Bush reportedly commented on Trump's 2017 inauguration, saying, 'That was some weird shit.' He also appeared alongside Obama in a video addressing USAID staffers and thanking them for their work after the Trump administration shut it down. His father, the now deceased George H.W. Bush, called Trump a 'blowhard' and said he voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016. Obama has been openly critical of Trump in his first and second terms. In April, Obama called Trump out for his attacks on universities and law firms as well as his withdrawal from a 'rules-based system' of alliances and global trade. In addition to obliterating norms and blowing up international relations, Trump has undertaken several changes in the White House décor since returning to power. He paved over the historic Rose Garden's grassy lawn with concrete and plans to build a $200 million ballroom that will resemble the style of his Mar-a-Lago resort. He has transformed the Oval Office, covering it in tacky gold leaf accents to match the president's gaudy taste. In June, Trump removed a bust of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., from the Oval Office. He also removed a pot of Swedish ivy that had been in the room for 50 years. He tripled how many paintings were displayed on the office's walls while adding gilded accents, golden eagle statues, and even cherub figurines from Mar-a-Lago, where Trump spends most of his weekends. More from Rolling Stone Vance Tries to Convince Americans That Trump Wants 'Full Transparency' in Epstein Case Pritzker: Trump Is 'Cheating Americans Out of Their Votes' With Gerrymandering Plans Trump Declares War on Unhoused D.C. Residents: 'No MR. NICE GUY' Best of Rolling Stone The Useful Idiots New Guide to the Most Stoned Moments of the 2020 Presidential Campaign Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal The Radical Crusade of Mike Pence
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump got into a shouting match with Netanyahu after Israeli PM denied pictures of starving Gazans were real: report
President Donald Trump got into a shouting match with Benjamin Netanyahu after the Israeli prime minister denied that images of starving children in Gaza were real, according to NBC News. Israel is building up troops as it prepares to possibly take full control of the Gaza Strip. The private phone conversation that devolved into the two leaders shouting at each other reportedly took place on July 28. The tense discussion came amid U.S. concerns about the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a relief effort backed by the U.S. and Israel, several officials told the network. On July 27, Netanyahu took part in an event in Jerusalem, claiming that 'There is no policy of starvation in Gaza. And there is no starvation in Gaza.' The following day, during his recent trip to Scotland, Trump pushed back, saying that he had seen pictures of children in Gaza who 'look very hungry,' adding that the area is suffering from 'real starvation' and 'you can't fake that.' This prompted Netanyahu to demand a call with the president, and they were connected hours later, according to NBC News. Netanyahu claimed during the call that there was no starvation in Gaza, arguing that Hamas had fabricated it. Trump interrupted and started shouting, saying that he didn't want to hear the assertion that the starvation was fake, adding that his staff had shown him evidence that children are starving. The prime minister's office was quick to deny the claim that a shouting match had taken place. 'The report alleging that a shouting match occurred between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump is total fake news,' his office said in a statement on Friday. 'We do not comment on the President's private conversations. President Trump is focused on returning all the hostages and getting the people in Gaza fed,' a White House spokesperson told NBC News. A former U.S. official briefed on the call told the network that the call was 'direct, mostly one-way conversation about the status of humanitarian aid.' Trump 'was doing most of the talking.' 'The U.S. not only feels like the situation is dire, but they own it because of GHF,' the ex-official added in reference to the Gaza Humanitarian Fund. The phone call led to special envoy Steve Witkoff travelling to the region to find a unified way forward. The humanitarian fund has been operating in Gaza since May in designated distribution sites, some distance away from many Gazans in need of food. Large crowds have congregated near these sites, and Israeli troops have at times fired upon them. As of late last month, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed while trying to get food, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has stated. The U.N. has boycotted the GHF and has operated its own network of aid distributors in the Gaza Strip. Witkoss asked the Israelis if the relief efforts currently in place are sufficient or if they need to expand, according to NBC News. Trump was asked Tuesday if he would back Israel occupying Gaza, to which the president said he was focused on getting food to people in the area. About the possible military occupation, he said, 'I really can't say. That's going to be pretty much up to Israel.'
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
A 240-year-old Swiss watchmaker raced to beat Trump's tariff deadline
By Helen Reid LONDON/GENEVA (Reuters) -As a U.S. tariff deadline neared last week, Swiss watch manufacturer DuBois et fils rushed to ship five high-end watches worth thousands of dollars each to the United States. By Wednesday the firm had blocked orders on its U.S. website. Now CEO Thomas Steinemann is calculating the price hikes he'll need to make. The whipsaw week for the Swiss horologist, as U.S. President Donald Trump slapped a surprise 39% trade tariff on imports from the European country, underscores how businesses big and small are being forced to adapt and rejig operations under pressure. DuBois et fils, founded in 1785, accelerated shipments on Monday from its factory in Muttenz, near Basel, to get through customs before the U.S. tariff on imports from Switzerland came into force. The 39% rate - up from the baseline tariff rate of 10% since April - took effect at 0400 GMT on Thursday after the Swiss president came back from an emergency trip to Washington without a deal. "For the watch industry it's a huge disaster," said Steinemann, who explained that he'd blocked U.S. orders because prices would need to be recalculated to account for tariffs. The firm would not soak up the hit, he said. "The U.S. was a big driver in the last two years. Now this kills a lot of the business." His U.S. prices were going to rise, he added. The DuBois DBF008 watch, for example, would likely go up to $14,500, from $10,800. The United States accounts for around 15% of the global sales of DuBois, which sells directly to U.S. consumers. The wider Swiss watch industry is feeling the pinch, planning price hikes, pausing U.S. orders, and looking for alternative markets for its expensive, hand-made timepieces. The country is home to brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe, LVMH-owned Tag Heuer, Swatch-owned Omega and IWC Schaffhausen, owned by Richemont. The U.S. accounted for 17% of Switzerland's total 26 billion Swiss francs ($32 billion) of watch exports last year, according to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry. Exports to the U.S. surged in April as watchmakers frontloaded shipments ahead of a first tariff deadline. 'LOSS FOR THE UNITED STATES' Combined with a weaker dollar against the Swiss franc, the tariff hike will make Swiss watches some 65% more expensive on average for U.S. consumers, estimated Amarildo Pilo, owner of Pilo & Co watchmakers. He said that many brands had already shipped some product to the U.S. in advance, but warned this was not a long-term solution. The United States had been a market that everyone was focusing on recently and wanted to develop, he added. "My personal opinion is that what's going to happen is that Americans will no longer buy watches in the United States," said Pilo, who is also founder of the Swiss Independent Watchmakers Pavilion, which represents 28 independent brands. "But those who want them and who like watches will buy them elsewhere. So honestly, it's a loss for the United States." The tariff hit is a wider broadside against Switzerland, even if talks are continuing with the hope of eventually striking a deal. Trump argues that tariffs are needed to undo trade distortions and bring manufacturing back to the United States. "The impact could be very strong on the Swiss economy," said John Plassard, partner and head of investment strategy at Cite Gestion Private Bank. Analysts estimate the tariffs could knock between 0.3% to 0.6% off Swiss GDP growth over the next year. "It will cut the potential growth in half, I would say. So the indirect impact could be more unemployment in the Swiss economy," said Plassard. 'GAME OVER NUMBER' In Sacha Davidoff's vintage watch boutique in Geneva, there was a sense of shock. Many in the country had expected a deal similar to or better than the 15% that will be levied on most imports from the European Union. Switzerland is outside the bloc. "Right now we're living the nightmare that we had hoped wouldn't come to be. You kind of like wake up in the morning and you're like, 'no, that wasn't real'," Davidoff told Reuters, saying that 39% was a hammer blow for exports. "(It) is kind of a 'game over' number for us. It basically cuts the U.S. market as a possibility for export of vintage watches entirely." He hoped, however, that the situation would be resolved eventually. "I think that this is just going to be a difficult period where we're basically going to have to put the American market kind of on pause and focus on domestic sales," he said. ($1 = 0.8070 Swiss francs)
