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President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the meeting between White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin was “highly productive,” though it failed to advance a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine.
“My Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, just had a highly productive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin,” Trump said on Truth Social before adding that
“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,” he added.
The president did not detail what progress was made, but in a comment to Fox News Digital from a senior administration official, the meeting was describing as having “went well.”
“The Russians are eager to continue engaging with the United States,” the official noted, though they also confirmed that the promised secondary sanctions Trump threatened to levy against nations who trade with Putin are “still expected to be implemented on Friday.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that he spoke with Trump on Wednesday alongside other European leaders and said, “Our joint position with our partners is absolutely clear – the war must end. And it must be done honestly.
“European leaders were on the call, and I am grateful to each of them for their support. We discussed what was spelled out in Moscow,” he added. “Ukraine will definitely defend its independence. We all need a lasting and reliable peace.
“Russia must end the war that it itself started,” Zelenskyy said.
WITKOFF SCRAMBLES FOR PEACE DEAL WITH RUSSIA AS SANCTIONS LOOM TARGETING INDIA, CHINA
Few details have emerged from the three-hour meeting with Russian foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov also having described the meeting as “useful and constructive.”
Ushakov said Putin “received some signals from Trump” and “sent some signals,” but he did not elaborate on any specifics.
The advisor also told reporters that Putin and Witkoff had discussed developing the “strategic partnership” between the U.S. and Russia but did not elaborate how. The comment came after Witkoff was spotted earlier in the day taking a walk near the Kremlin with Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president’s envoy for investment and economic cooperation.
Witkoff and Putin met shortly before noon in Moscow, according to the timestamp released by the Kremlin which accompanied an image of Putin and Witkoff smiling and shaking hands as Ushakov looked on.
Witkoff’s team did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions on what the envoy was hoping to accomplish in his meeting with Putin, though some reporting this week suggested he may look to secure a moratorium on air strikes.
Witkoff traveled to Moscow in a last-ditch effort to get Putin to capitulate to Trump’s and Western calls for an end to the war, though the Kremlin chief was not expected to make great concessions in ending his war ambitions ahead of the trip.
In mid-July, while seated next to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump promised to enforce “very severe” tariffs on Russia if Putin does not enter into a deal with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy within 50 days.
“Tariffs at about 100%, you’d call them secondary tariffs,” he had said, implying that nations who trade with Russia will see 100% tariffs slapped on them when trading with the U.S.
He then pushed the date up to within 10 days of July 29, forcing the new deadline for Friday.
But on Tuesday Trump walked back his 100% tariff threat amid tough trade talks with India and China, and said, “I never said a percentage.”
“We’ll see what happens over the next fairly short period of time,” he added in response to questions from reporters. “We have a meeting with Russia…We’re going to see what happens.
“We’ll make that determination at that time,” he added.
The tariffs would most drastically target China and India, which are the largest purchasers of Russian oil, though high tariffs on those nations, both of which are major traders with the U.S., would also mean higher prices for the American consumer.
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