Russia Ukraine War Concept / Envato Market
By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
WASHINGTON/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – U.S. President Donald J. Trump claimed Wednesday that “great progress” had been made during high-stakes talks in Moscow between his special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin, aimed at ending the ongoing war in Ukraine. However, Trump did not offer specifics about the outcome of the three-hour discussions.
The talks came just two days before a deadline set by Trump for Russia to reach a peace agreement or face a new wave of U.S. sanctions, including potential measures targeting Russia’s shadow oil fleet and key trading partners.
Worthy News, citing several sources, previously reported that the emerging agreement could include a pause in drone and missile strikes by both sides ahead of more comprehensive peace negotiations.
“My special envoy, Steve Witkoff, just had a highly productive meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin,” Trump wrote on his social media platform.
“Great progress was made! Afterwards, I updated some of our European allies. Everyone agrees this war must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come.”
The former real estate magnate turned envoy, Witkoff, has played a surprising role in international diplomacy, having also been tasked with efforts to negotiate ceasefires in Gaza and resolve tensions over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
SKEPTICISM REMAINS
Despite Trump’s optimistic tone, international observers and commentators remained cautious. Previous assertions by Trump that Putin was ready to negotiate peace have failed to produce tangible results.
As of Wednesday evening, Russian President Putin had not made any public concessions or signaled a shift in Moscow’s core demands — which reportedly include NATO’s non-expansion, Ukrainian neutrality, and recognition of Russian control over occupied territories.
Yet Kremlin sources indicated that a mutual pause in long-range strikes could be proposed to Trump as a first step toward de-escalation.
Late Wednesday, Trump held a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who received the call while returning to Kyiv from a visit to frontline regions in the northeast of the country.
“Our joint position is very clear: the war has to end, and it has to be a just ending,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media platform X. “European leaders also took part in the call and I am grateful to each of them for support. We discussed what had been said in Moscow. Ukraine has to defend its independence. We all need a long-lasting and reliable peace. Russia must finish the war that it started.”
Zelenskyy did not disclose details of the Moscow meeting, but emphasized that any peace must respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
KREMLIN: “USEFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE”
Putin’s top foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, also characterized the Moscow meeting as “useful and constructive,” though he emphasized that no conclusions would be drawn until Witkoff had formally debriefed President Trump.
As the Friday deadline looms, the Trump administration is preparing to act if Moscow fails to commit to a ceasefire.
Measures under consideration include:
• Blacklisting ships in Russia’s “shadow fleet” used to evade oil sanctions.
• Pressuring key Russian trading partners, including India and China.
• Supporting a bipartisan U.S. Senate bill proposing tariffs of up to 500 percent on nations that continue to import Russian energy.
• Coordinating with the European Union on its dynamic price cap for Russian oil, which is scheduled to drop from $60 to $45 per barrel in early September.
Officials say the goal is to exert maximum pressure while leaving space for a diplomatic breakthrough.
(With reporting from Washington D.C. and additional sources)
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