Putin meets Trump envoy as US seeks to end war in Ukraine

President Vladimir Putin begins talks with Witkoff who is visiting Moscow, two days before the sanction deadline that Trump set. The White House is trying to meet a self-imposed deadline to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. President Trump has been pressuring his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to encourage Russia to stop fighting before an August 8 deadline. Although Putin refuses to end his campaign, he may offer concessions to avoid sanctions.

Trump believes Putin's economic problems will lead him to cease hostilities, stating, "if energy goes down low enough, Putin’s going to stop killing people."

Trump has threatened sanctions on buyers of Russian oil, which could harm US interests and relationships with China and India. There are concerns that Witkoff may be too lenient toward Putin. Meanwhile, Ukraine and its allies are urging Trump to stay engaged in finding a resolution.