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United States envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Wednesday, according to Russian media reports. Witkoff arrived in Moscow just days before a critical deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Russia to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.
President Trump has previously stated that Russia could face huge sanctions, or secondary sanctions targeting nations trading with it, if it fails to take concrete steps to end the "horrible war" with Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has echoed the sentiment that Russia will only seriously pursue peace when its financial resources are depleted. He welcomed the threat of tougher US sanctions and tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil.
Despite Trump's threats, expectations for a settlement by Friday are reportedly low, as Russia has continued its large-scale air attacks on Ukraine. Three rounds of talks between Ukraine and Russia held in Istanbul have thus far failed to advance the prospect of ending the war, which entered its fourth year following Moscow's full-scale invasion.
Kyiv and its Western allies continue to find Moscow's military and political prerequisites for peace unacceptable. The Kremlin has also consistently rejected Kyiv's requests for a direct meeting between Presidents Zelensky and Putin.
In parallel developments, the US administration approved an additional 200 million dollars in military sales to Ukraine on Tuesday, following a phone call between President Zelensky and President Trump.
The discussion also encompassed defence cooperation and drone production. Ukraine has been employing drones to target Russia's refineries and energy facilities, while Moscow's air attacks have primarily concentrated on Ukrainian cities.
The human toll of the ongoing war remains severe. The Kyiv City Military Administration reported that the death toll from a recent attack on the capital rose to 32 after a man succumbed to his injuries, marking the deadliest strike on Kyiv since the invasion began.
Furthermore, Ukrainian authorities reported on Wednesday that a Russian attack on a holiday camp in the central Zaporizhzhia region resulted in two fatalities and left 12 people wounded. President Zelensky condemned the attack, stating, "There's no military sense in this attack. It's just cruelty to scare people."
