MOSCOW (AFP) — United States envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Wednesday, state media reported, where he will meet with Russian leadership as President Donald Trump’s deadline to impose fresh sanctions over Russia’s offensive on Ukraine looms.
Trump has given Russia until Friday to halt its military campaign or face new penalties.
Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, reported Wednesday at least two people were killed and 10 others wounded overnight in Russian shelling of the Zaporizhzhia region.
The White House has not outlined specific actions it plans to take on Friday, but Trump has previously threatened to impose “secondary tariffs” targeting Russia’s remaining trade partners, such as China and India.
The move would aim to stifle Russian exports, but would risk significant international disruption.
Trump said Tuesday that he would await the outcome of the Moscow talks before moving forward with any economic retaliation.
“We’re going to see what happens,” he told reporters. “We’ll make that determination at that time.”
After arriving in Moscow, Witkoff was met by presidential special representative Kirill Dmitriev, Russian state news agency TASS said.
An American source did not specify if the meetings will include Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Witkoff has met with several times previously.
The Kremlin said earlier this week it did not “exclude” a meeting with Putin would take place.
Despite pressure from Washington, Russia has continued its campaign against its pro-Western neighbor.
Three rounds of peace talks in Istanbul have failed to make headway on a possible ceasefire, with the two sides appearing as far apart as ever.
Moscow has demanded that Ukraine cede more territory and renounce Western support.
Kyiv is calling for an immediate ceasefire, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week urged his allies to push for “regime change” in Moscow.