Special envoy Steve Witkoff had a “highly productive meeting” with Russian President Vladimir Putin over a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday.
“Great progress was made!” Trump said on Truth Social. “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.”
Why It Matters
The Trump administration’s renewed engagement with Russia comes amid heightened international tension over Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine, which began with the February 24, 2022, invasion. U.S. sanctions have sought to choke Moscow’s war financing while pressuring other major economic powers, like India and China, that have continued to buy Russian oil.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
What To Know
Trump’s post struck a starkly different tone than the language in an executive order the White House released earlier Wednesday that called the Kremlin an “unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”
Trump hasn’t been shy about expressing his frustration with his Russian counterpart over the lack of progress between Kyiv and Moscow regarding a ceasefire deal. Among other things, he said last month that he was “very disappointed” after a call with Putin and later saying that “we get a lot of b******* thrown at us by Putin.”
Despite Trump’s post touting the meeting’s progress, the administration still plans to impose secondary sanctions on Russia on Friday, Reuters reported, citing a White House official.
“The Russians are eager to continue engaging with the United States. The secondary sanctions are still expected to be implemented on Friday,” the White House official told Reuters.
Putin is unlikely to cave to Trump’s sanctions ultimatum, sources close to the Kremlin told Reuters. The Russian president is said to want to dig his heels in because he believes Russia is winning the war and he doesn’t believe additional U.S. sanctions will have much more of an impact than previous sanctions did, per Reuters.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also indicated in a Fox Business Network interview on Wednesday that there will needs to be “a lot of work” ahead to achieve a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
What People Are Saying
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement: “The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the president is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelensky. President Trump wants this brutal war to end.”
Rubio said on Fox Business: “Today was a good day, but there’s a lot of work—I don’t want to exaggerate—we still have a ways to go here. But we certainly are closer today than we were yesterday, when we weren’t close at all … I think what we have is a better understanding of the conditions under which Russia would be prepared to end the war.”
The Kremlin issued a vague statement about the meeting, saying according to Russian state media: “Putin conveyed some signals to the United States on the Ukrainian issue. Corresponding signals were also received from President Trump.”
What Happens Next
Trump is preparing for a high-stakes diplomatic effort aimed at ending the war in Ukraine and plans to meet with Putin next week, potentially followed by a three-way summit including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, The New York Times reported.
Update 8/6/25, 5:00 p.m.: This article has been updated with additional information and context.
