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Putin and US envoy discuss Ukraine

Putin and the US envoy met in Moscow regarding the war in Ukraine, in a meeting the Kremlin described as "constructive."

Putin y enviado de EE. UU. dialogan sobre Ucrania
Redacción Mas Latino
  • PublishedAugust 6, 2025
Kremlin.ruCC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Kremlin on Tuesday hailed the nearly three-hour meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and White House special envoy Steve Witkoff as "constructive." The reason is to ease tensions over the war in Ukraine; just days before the ultimatum imposed by US President Donald Trump expires.

According to Yuri Ushakov, the Kremlin's international advisor, the conversation primarily addressed the situation in Ukraine, although it also included a review of bilateral relations between Russia and the United States. Ushakov emphasized that President Putin received and sent direct "signals" to his American counterpart, although he avoided going into details until Trump was formally informed of the meeting's content.

"Trump has not yet been informed of the results of this meeting. Therefore, I would refrain from further comment," Ushakov said after the meeting.

Waiting for a response from Washington

This was the fifth meeting between Putin and Witkoff this year (the previous one took place in April) amid diplomatic efforts to stem the conflict in Ukraine. So far, Moscow has not agreed to declare a ceasefire, as demanded by Trump, who recently reduced the deadline for a response from the Kremlin from 50 to 10 days.

From Washington, President Trump reiterated that if an agreement is not reached, he will impose new sanctions on Russia and implement measures against trading partners that continue to import Russian oil, specifically targeting India and China.

"If the deadline comes and Russia hasn't agreed to a ceasefire, there will be sanctions. But they seem to be pretty good at avoiding sanctions. They're shrewd people and pretty adept at circumventing them," Trump warned over the weekend.

A possible suspension of bombings?

International media have suggested that the Kremlin may be willing to suspend airstrikes on Ukrainian territory as a gesture of goodwill, although without halting its ground offensive in the Donbas and along the northern border.

From Moscow, Ushakov neither confirmed nor denied this possibility. He asserted that only after Trump's assessment could progress be made on "something more substantial."

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