A high-stakes meeting is underway in Moscow between U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as the deadline set by President Donald Trump for a ceasefire in Ukraine approaches. The talks come amid heightened tensions, with little indication that Russia is ready to halt its offensive or meet U.S. demands.
Trump has warned of “hefty sanctions” and secondary penalties for any country continuing to trade with Russia if Moscow fails to take steps to end what he has called the “horrible war.” Despite these threats, Russian forces have intensified their air attacks on Ukrainian cities, including a recent deadly strike on Kyiv that has claimed 32 lives.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the U.S. pressure on Russia, stating that Moscow would only seriously consider peace “when it begins to run out of money.” He applauded Trump’s proposed sanctions and called for further restrictions on countries that purchase Russian oil.
Witkoff’s trip to Moscow follows three failed rounds of peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul. With Moscow’s demands for peace seen as unacceptable by Kyiv and its Western allies, hopes for a ceasefire by Friday remain slim.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has approved an additional $200 million in military aid to Ukraine. The move followed a phone conversation between Trump and Zelensky, in which the leaders also discussed expanding defense cooperation and increasing drone production. Ukrainian drones have increasingly targeted Russian energy infrastructure, while Moscow has ramped up attacks on Ukrainian civilian areas.
In another brutal attack, Russian missiles hit a holiday camp in Ukraine’s central Zaporizhzhia region on Wednesday, killing two and injuring 12. “There’s no military sense in this attack. It’s just cruelty to scare people,” Zelensky stated.
The Kremlin continues to reject direct talks between Putin and Zelensky, further dimming hopes for a negotiated resolution. As the world watches, pressure mounts on Moscow to shift course or face the consequences laid out by Trump’s administration.
