Putin holds ‘constructive' talks with US envoy Witkoff ahead of sanctions deadline: Kremlin
US President Donald Trump, who had boasted he could end the conflict within 24 hours of taking office, has given Russia until Friday to make progress towards peace or face new penalties.
But three rounds of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul have failed to make headway on a ceasefire, with the two sides far apart in their demands.
Russia has escalated drone and missile attacks against its pro-Western neighbour to a record high and accelerated its advance on the ground.
'A quite useful and constructive conversation took place,' Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov told journalists, including AFP, after the three hour meeting.
Putin and Witkoff exchanged 'signals' on their positions, Ushakov said, without elaborating.
The Kremlin released video of Putin shaking hands with Witkoff at the start of the meeting.
Moscow awaits 'important' Trump envoy visit before sanctions deadline
Ahead of the talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Washington to increase its pressure on Moscow to agree to a ceasefire.
Sanctions threat
The White House has not outlined what action it would take against Russia, but Trump has previously threatened to impose 'secondary tariffs' targeting Russia's key trade partners, such as China and India.
The move would aim to stifle Russian exports, but would risk significant international disruption.
Trump said on Tuesday that he would await the outcome of the Moscow talks before ordering any economic sanctions.
'We're going to see what happens,' he told reporters. 'We'll make that determination at that time.'
Without explicitly naming Trump, the Kremlin on Tuesday slammed 'threats' to hike tariffs on Russia's trading partners as 'illegitimate'.
US special envoy Witkoff lands in Moscow, source tells Reuters
Russia's campaign against Ukraine since February 2022 has killed tens of thousands of people, destroyed swathes of the country and forced millions to flee their homes.
Moscow has demanded that Ukraine cede more territory and renounce Western support if it wants the fighting to stop.
Kyiv is calling for an immediate ceasefire, and Zelenskyy last week urged his allies to push for 'regime change' in Moscow.
'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,' Zelenskyy wrote on social media on Wednesday after Witkoff landed in the Russian capital.
'Ukraine sees the political will, appreciates the efforts of our partners, of America, and of everyone who is helping,' he added.
Nuclear rhetoric
Trump has voiced increasing frustration with Putin in recent weeks over Russia's unrelenting offensive.
Russia fired a record number of long-range drones at Ukraine in July, AFP analysis of data from Kyiv's air force showed.
Its troops have also accelerated their advance on the ground and pushed into parts of Ukraine that Russia has not claimed to have annexed.
Ukrainian emergency services reported on Wednesday that at least two people were killed and 12 others wounded in Russian shelling of a holiday camp in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.
When reporters asked Trump on Monday what Witkoff's message would be to Moscow, Trump replied: 'Yeah, get a deal where people stop getting killed.'
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russia believed the talks with Witkoff would be 'important' and that it valued US efforts to end the conflict.
The visit comes with Moscow-Washington tensions running high.
Trump said he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be moved following an online row with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev that were now 'in the region'.
It is unknown if Trump meant nuclear-armed or merely nuclear-powered submarines. He also did not elaborate on the deployment locations, which are kept secret by the US military.
Russia, in its first comments on the deployment, urged 'caution' on Monday.
Moscow then said that it was ending a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear-capable intermediate-range missiles, suggesting that it could deploy such weapons in response to what it alleged were similar US deployments within striking distance of Russia.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
9 minutes ago
- Business Recorder
Cambodia and Thailand to hammer out permanent ceasefire in Malaysia meeting
KUALA LUMPUR: Cambodia and Thailand's top defence officials began a meeting in Malaysia on Thursday to finalise a permanent end to hostilities following a violent five-day border conflict that ended in an unconditional ceasefire late in July. The Southeast Asian neighbours saw the in over a decade last month, including exchanges of artillery fire and jet fighter bombing runs that claimed at least 43 lives and left over 300,000 people displaced on both sides of the border. Fighting continued despite diplomatic interventions from China and Malaysia, chair of the regional bloc ASEAN, calling for restraint. Cambodia PM says purpose of Malaysian talks is immediate ceasefire with Thailand The leaders of Cambodia and Thailand only came to the negotiation table when U.S. President Donald Trump told them that tariff negotiations would not continue unless there was peace, Reuters exclusively reported. Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Seiha and Thailand's acting defence minister Nattaphon Narkphanit are due to meet at Malaysia's Armed Forces headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. The two countries will establish guidelines to resolve border disputes, restore trust between their military forces and agree to a ceasefire with measures to minimise tensions and protect civilians, Nattaphon said in a statement before the talks. The conditions were formulated during three days of talks between senior officials in Kuala Lumpur and are to be finalised on the fourth day in the presence of observers from China and the United States. Thailand and Cambodia have quarrelled for decades over undemarcated parts of their 817 km (508 miles) land border, which was first mapped by France in 1907 when the latter was its colony.
Business Recorder
39 minutes ago
- Business Recorder
China, Hong Kong stocks extend gains as Chinese exports beat forecasts
HONG KONG: China and Hong Kong stocks rose in morning trade on Thursday as upbeat Chinese trade data added fuel to the recent market rally despite renewed U.S. tariff threats. China's exports beat forecasts in July with outbound shipments up 7.2% year-on-year, customs data showed, as manufacturers made the most of a tariff truce with the U.S. Markets largely looked past U.S. President Donald Trump's comments that he could announce further tariffs on goods from China, similar to the 25% duties slapped earlier on India over its Russian oil purchases, depending on what happens. Investors remain focused on the August 12 deadline, waiting to see if Beijing and Washington could reach a durable tariff agreement. The market shows a risk-on mood with better China July exports, and domestic conviction remains solid, Wee Khoon Chong, a senior APAC market strategist at BNY, Hong Kong, said in a note. BNY maintains its view that the Shanghai benchmark would test 3,700, he added. At the midday break, the Shanghai Composite index was up 0.1% at 3,638.40, after closing at its highest since late 2021 on Wednesday. The blue-chip CSI300 index was up 0.1%. The semiconductor sector led the way, with a 1.3% gain despite Trump saying the U.S. could levy a 100% tariff on some chip imports, as analysts say the move only has limited impact on Chinese chipmakers and could accelerate domestic production. Defensive sectors including banks, liquor and consumer staples were up 0.2%-0.5%. In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index also reversed earlier losses with a 0.5% gain, and the tech index added 0.5%.
Business Recorder
39 minutes ago
- Business Recorder
China's yuan firms on stronger fix and upbeat trade data
SHANGHAI: China's yuan firmed slightly against the U.S. dollar on Thursday, supported by a stronger official midpoint and upbeat trade data, which helped ease concerns over tariff-related pressures. China's exports beat forecasts in July, as manufacturers made the most of a fragile tariff truce between Beijing and Washington to ship goods ahead of a looming deadline later this month. The spot yuan opened at 7.1830 per dollar and was last trading at 7.1809 as of 0244 GMT, 27 pips firmer than the previous late session close and 0.65% weaker than he midpoint. Prior to the market opening, the People's Bank of China set the midpoint rate at 7.1345 per dollar, its strongest since November 6, 2024, and 364 pips firmer than a Reuters' estimate. The PBOC has been fixing the yuan more to the stronger side as the dollar gradually climbed from a 3-year low since early July. The spot yuan is allowed to trade a maximum of 2% either side of the fixed midpoint each day. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he could announce further tariffs on China similar to the 25% duties announced earlier on India over its purchases of Russian oil, depending on what happens. The yuan did not react much on the news, although Citi analysts in a note it would 'likely continue facing resistance near 7.1840 per dollar, then 7.1808 near-term'. Citi analysts said they assessed the impact of transshipment tariffs but concluded that local policymakers should primarily focus on direct U.S. tariffs, reciprocal measures, and fentanyl-related actions. 'China may also continue diversifying its supply chains, searching for new growth opportunities beyond the U.S., which, in the medium-term, could be a net benefit for local markets,' they said. Market reaction was largely muted after Trump said it would impose a tariff of about 100% on semiconductor chips imported from countries not producing in America or planning to do so. The deadline for the Sino-U.S. trade truce is August 12. The offshore yuan traded at 7.1838 yuan per dollar, up about 0.01% in Asian trade. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against major currencies was 0.071% higher at 98.25.
