U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to visit Russia this week, as President Donald Trump’s Aug. 8 deadline for Russia to deal with Ukraine looms.
“They would like to see [Witkoff]. They’ve asked that he meet, so we’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters before departing Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 3.
Trump said Witkoff should arrive in Russia by Aug. 6 or 7. That could give the envoy a narrow window to help broker a deal with Moscow before Trump follows through on his threat to impose new economic constraints on Russia and nations trading with Russia.
The president originally gave Moscow until Sept. 2 to reach a cease-fire deal with Kyiv but chose last week to move up his deadline.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Aug. 4 welcomed the possibility of Witkoff’s visit, saying talks with the envoy are “important, substantive, and very useful.”
As he spoke with reporters, Trump acknowledged the possibility that Russia finds ways to minimize the impact of new U.S. sanctions and tariffs. He said he would follow through on his threat if Russia doesn’t agree to a cease-fire deal but said “they seem to be pretty good at avoiding sanctions.”
The United States and other countries supporting Ukraine have ramped up economic constraints after Russian troops marched in force into Ukraine in February 2022. Despite these economic constraints, Moscow has continued its full-scale military operation for more than three years.
Andriy Yermak, the head of staff for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, expressed optimism that tariffs targeting Russia’s trade partners could finally break Russian President Vladimir Putin’s will to continue the conflict.
“Sanctions are working. Russia’s war-driven economy is cracking under pressure and survives only through energy exports,” Yermak wrote in an Aug. 3 X post. “Cutting its throat is possible — with the secondary tariffs now proposed in the U.S.”
The plan to impose tariffs on countries trading with Russia could particularly affect China and India, both of which have continued to buy Russian fossil fuel products in spite of international efforts to isolate Russia economically.
According to the latest analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, China has purchased about 47 percent of Russia’s crude oil exports since December 2022. India has purchased about 38 percent of Russia’s crude oil exports during that same period.
Trump singled out India in an Aug. 4 post on Truth Social, noting the country’s prominent interest in Russian oil.
“They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine,” the president wrote. “Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
