By Janet Ekstract, NEW YORK – On Wednesday, August 6, White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was in Moscow for a three-hour meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war. Two White House officials told CNN that Putin proposed a meeting with President Donald Trump after he spoke to Witkoff and Trump aides are currently planning for the meetings, they said. Meanwhile, Trump has requested his team move fast to organize the meetings, the officials told CNN and the White House indicated it expects the meeting could happen as soon as next week or in the next two week though no specific location was mentioned. Trump informed European leaders on August 6 in a phone call, about his plan to meet Putin and Zelensky, according to two sources at the White House and a European government source confirmed what was said on the call. Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement: “The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the president is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelensky. President Trump wants this brutal war to end.”
Trump also told Putin that he would need to commit to meet Zelensky as well. Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign affairs adviser said Putin and Witkoff had a “useful and constructive conversation” focusing on the conflict in Ukraine and with an eye toward enhancing bilateral relations between the U.S. and Russia. Ushakov added, there are “prospects for possible development of strategic cooperation” between the United States and Russia. Meanwhile, the Kremlin has been silent on any future meetings with Trump. If the meeting between Putin and Trump takes place, it would be their first since Trump returned to the White House earlier this year. While a meeting between the two leaders would be considered a major move forward – as analysts and experts have pointed out that any meeting between the two is no guarantee of an end to the conflict. That’s because Russia and Ukraine remain at odds on their demands for a potential ceasefire. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “a lot has to happen before that can occur,” referring to any upcoming meeting between the two leaders. The U.S. president commented on social media that “great progress was made” between Witkoff and Putin and though Trump didn’t indicate when he would impose sanctions – a White House official told the press that those sanctions are “still expected to be implemented on Friday.” Trump said several weeks ago that some of the “toughest” secondary sanctions would be imposed on Russia and announced that a 100% tariff imposed on countries that buy Russian oil. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox Business, later on Wednesday that the president will decide whether to impose the sanctions in the next 24-36 hours. Oil and gas are a key source of revenue for Russia that comprises about a quarter of Russia’s government budget – sanctions could have the potential to hurt Russia’s ability to finance its war on Ukraine. Trump has openly expressed to the media, his frustration with Putin who previously agreed to meetings to discuss a possible peace agreement and then intensified attacks on Ukraine. Ukraine’s President Zelensky has made it clear previously that he’s willing to meet Putin in-person to end the conflict but Russia has continued to avoid it. As Rubio acknowledged: “There’s still many impediments to overcome.”
