US Envoy Witkoff to Visit Russia amid Nuclear Saber-rattling
The visit announcement came as the US President revealed the repositioning of two nuclear submarines near Russia amid an escalating war of words with a high-ranking Russian official over the war in Ukraine. Visit Confirmation
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump confirmed that Witkoff would visit Moscow on August 6 or 7, right before the US President's deadline for imposing new sanctions on Russia over its war in Ukraine, reported France 24.
'I think next week, Wednesday or Thursday, [he] may be going to Russia,' Trump said about Witkoff's visit. Trump added that Russia has to reach a ceasefire deal to avoid fresh sanctions. 'Get a deal where people stop getting killed,' he told reporters.
The US President revealed the planned trip for the first time on Thursday during an event at the White House, according to CNN. 'He's going to Russia, believe it or not,' Trump said, adding that he planned to impose fresh sanctions on Russia amid what he called 'disgusting' assaults on Ukraine. Sanctions Threats
Witkoff has traveled to Moscow several times, the latest of which was in April where he met with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, at the Kremlin. However, the talks did not result in a breakthrough toward ending the ongoing war in Ukraine, increasing Trump's frustration with Putin.
In response, the US President threatened Russia with new economic sanctions if it did not halt its war on Ukraine by August 8, cutting his previous 50-day deadline. On July 29, Trump said Moscow had '10 days from today' to end the war.
Trump said that the new measures could involve 'secondary tariffs' on Russia's oil buyers, such as China and India. However, he seemed to downplay the impact of the new measures on the course of war or Putin's actions.
'Yeah, we're going to put sanctions. I don't know that sanctions bother him. You know, they know about sanctions. I know better than anybody about sanctions and tariffs and everything else. I don't know if that has any effect, but we're going to do it,' Trump said on Thursday. Moving Nuclear Submarines
On Sunday, Trump said that two nuclear submarines arrived 'in the region' after he deployed them close to Russia. He did not specify if they are nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed submarines, and did not reveal their exact locations.
The US has a fleet of 71 nuclear-powered submarines, including 14 Ohio-class Ballistic Missile Submarines (SSBNs), 53 Nuclear-Powered attack submarines (SSNs), and 4 Guided Missile Submarines (SSGN).
Meanwhile, the Russian Navy possesses a fleet of 64 nuclear submarines, including 16 SSBNs, 14 SSNs, 11 SSGN, and 23 Diesel-electric attack submarines (SSKs), according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative arms control group. Online Row
Trump's decision followed an online war of words with Russia's former president and the deputy chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev.
'Based on the highly provocative statements of the former president of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the deputy chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions,' Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday.
Trump was referring to the former Russian president's remarks over the deadline and economic sanctions, in which Medvedev hinted that these measures could lead to a direct war between Russia and the US, including nuclear war. Putin's Reaction
The Russian President appeared to be unmoved by Trump's threats, insisting that his demands to end the war in Ukraine remained unchanged and signaling that the war's momentum was in Russia's favor.
'We need a lasting and stable peace on solid foundations that would satisfy both Russia and Ukraine, and would ensure the security of both countries,' Putin told reporters on Friday, adding that Moscow's conditions 'certainly remain the same.'
He also responded indirectly to Trump's remarks. 'As for any disappointments on the part of anyone, all disappointments arise from inflated expectations. This is a well-known general rule. But in order to approach the issue peacefully, it is necessary to conduct detailed conversations. And not in public, but this must be done calmly, in the quiet of the negotiation process,' Putin added.
Moscow's demands to end the war include Ukraine's neutrality, abandoning its bid to join NATO, and ceding control of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions that Russia annexed in 2022 – demands that Kyiv firmly rejects.
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