The Kremlin welcomes the idea of Putin meeting with Trump’s special envoy in Moscow

Russia does not rule out a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff this week, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He emphasized that Washington’s ongoing efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine are important, including through direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.

"We are always glad to see Mr. Witkoff in Moscow and are always glad to have contacts with Mr. Witkoff. We consider them important, meaningful and very useful," Peskov noted.

Last week, Trump said that Witkoff would visit Russia on August 1, following a trip to Israel. In a later announcement, he said that Witkoff would arrive on August 6 or 7, adding that Russia wanted to  see Witkoff in Moscow and had asked for a meeting with him.

Steve Witkoff’s visit, announced by Trump, will take place a day or two before the expiration of the deadline that the US president set for achieving progress in resolving the conflict in Ukraine. According to his  statements, Trump  wants the conflict between Russia and Ukraine to end by August 8.

Earlier, President Trump warned that if there is no progress in a peaceful settlement, he would impose new sanctions that would affect both Moscow and its trading partners who continue to buy Russian energy resources. Witkoff's possible visit offers a chance to reverse the recent worsening in US-Russian relations following Washington's sanction threats against Moscow.

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