London – President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, arrived in Moscow on Wednesday before expected talks with Russian management, Russian state media reported.
Witkoff was greeted by Kirill Dmitriev – the chief of the Russian Direct Investment Fund – at VNUKOVO airport in the capital, according to the TASS and Interfax state media agencies.
The visit is the fifth of Witkoff in Moscow since Trump took office, with the special envoy at the forefront of the White House efforts to end the invasion of Ukraine on a large scale by Russia, which began in February 2022.
A familiar source with Witkoff’s plans told ABC News on Tuesday that the special envoy should organize meetings with Russian management on Wednesday.
Witkoff was the last in Moscow on April 25, when he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kremlin.
A procession, apparently carrying the envoy of American president Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff, left Vnukovo airport in Moscow, Russia, August 6, 2025.
Yulia Morozova / Reuters
Last month, Trump said that he would impose additional economic measures – including secondary sanctions on customers of Russian fossil fuels exports, the most important of which is India and China – if Putin had not accepted a cease -fire by August 8.
Trump quoted the strikes of Drones and continuous missiles of Russia on Ukraine during the publication of its ultimatum in Kremlin, which was initially set at 50 days but then shortened at only 10 days. In July, Russia set a new monthly record for long -range attacks against Ukraine, according to data from the Ukrainian Air Force, pulling 6,443 drones and missiles in the country.
Ukraine supports American demand for an immediate cease-fire, after which negotiations on a complete peace agreement can take place. On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had “coordinated” positions with Trump in a telephone conversation.
“Today, we have coordinated our positions – Ukraine and the United States,” wrote Zelenskyy in an article at X. “We have exchanged assessments of the situation: the Russians have intensified the brutality of their attacks. President Trump is fully informed of Russian strikes on Kyiv and other cities and communities.”
Monday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russia was open to more meetings with Witkoff. “The dialogue continues and the United States continues its efforts to mediate in the search for a Ukrainian regulation,” he said, quoted by Tass.
“These efforts are very important, especially in the context of the process under direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiation,” said Peskov. “The work continues and we remain attached to the idea that a political and diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian problem is, of course, our favorite option.”
It is a story in development. Please check the updates.
Joe Simonetti, ABC News, Shannon K. Kingston, Yuriy Zaliznyak and Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.
