The Kremlin has not ruled out the possibility of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Steve Witkoff, the special envoy of US President Donald Trump, later this week, presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.
Peskov emphasized that dialogue between Russia and the United States on the issue of Ukraine has not ceased, and that Washington continues its mediation efforts. According to the Kremlin spokesperson, the US administration is actively seeking a path toward a Ukrainian settlement.
Whitkoff’s Role Highlighted in US Mediation
“We are always glad to see Mr. Witkoff in Moscow and always welcome contact with him,” Peskov noted.
“We consider his visits important, substantive, and very useful.”
He was responding to President Trump’s earlier claim that the initiative for the meeting came from Moscow.
President Putin is also scheduled to hold an international phone call on Monday, August 4, according to Peskov, who declined to disclose the name of the foreign counterpart involved in the upcoming conversation.
Deadline Approaches for Ukraine Peace Progress
Trump recently announced that Whitkoff would visit Russia following his trip to Israel on August 1. The envoy is expected in Moscow on August 6 or 7, just ahead of the August 8 deadline the US president set for making progress on ending the Russia–Ukraine conflict.
“I think he may go to Russia next week, on Wednesday or Thursday. They want to see him, they asked to meet with him,” Trump stated, adding:
“We’ll see what happens.”
Steve Witkoff has already visited Russia four times this year, meeting with President Putin on February 11, March 13, April 11, and April 25. The upcoming visit may prove critical in light of Trump’s threat to impose secondary tariffs on Russia and its trading partners if no peace progress is made by August 8.
US Ambassador to the UN John Kelly reiterated that the deadline was set by President Trump. If the conflict remains unresolved, Washington will consider additional punitive measures. However, Trump has acknowledged that such restrictions may not impact Moscow significantly.
