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U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed Sunday that his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will travel to Russia in the coming week – just days before a deadline he set for Moscow to act on ending the war in Ukraine or face new U.S. sanctions.
Speaking to reporters, Trump also revealed that two U.S. nuclear submarines are “in the region,” following a heated online exchange with former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
He did not clarify whether the submarines are nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed, nor did he specify their exact locations – details typically withheld by the Pentagon for security reasons.
The show of force adds weight to Trump’s ultimatum: Unless Russia shows progress toward peace, Washington will impose a new round of unspecified sanctions by week’s end.
The Republican leader said Witkoff would visit “I think next week, Wednesday or Thursday.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has already met with Witkoff multiple times in Moscow before Trump’s efforts to mend ties with the Kremlin came to a grinding halt.
When reporters asked what Witkoff’s message would be to Moscow, and if there was anything Russia could do to avoid the sanctions, Trump replied: “Yeah, get a deal where people stop getting killed.”
“Secondary tariffs”
Trump has previously warned that new measures could include “secondary tariffs” targeting Russia’s remaining trade partners, such as China and India. The move would further isolate Moscow but risks triggering significant international disruption.
Despite mounting pressure from Washington, Russia has continued its onslaught against its pro-Western neighbor.
Putin, who has consistently rejected calls for a cease-fire, said Friday that he wants peace but that his demands for ending his nearly 3½-year invasion remain “unchanged.”
“We need a lasting and stable peace on solid foundations that would satisfy both Russia and Ukraine, and would ensure the security of both countries,” Putin told reporters.
But he added, “The conditions (from the Russian side) certainly remain the same.”
Russia has repeatedly called on Ukraine to cede control of four regions Moscow claims to have annexed – a demand Kyiv has called unacceptable. Putin has also insisted Ukraine abandon its ambitions to join NATO.
Ukraine launched a drone attack Sunday that sparked a fire at an oil depot in Sochi, the host city of the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Kyiv said it will intensify airstrikes against Russia in response to an uptick in Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory in recent weeks, which have killed dozens of civilians.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Monday that its air defenses intercepted 61 Ukrainian drones overnight.
One person was killed by Russian shelling in the southern Kherson region, Ukraine’s military administration said in a Telegram post early Monday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said Sunday that the two sides are preparing a prisoner exchange that would see 1,200 Ukrainian troops return home, following talks with Russia in Istanbul in July.
Trump began his second term with predictions that the war in Ukraine – raging since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022 – would soon end. In recent weeks, however, Trump has voiced growing frustration with Putin over Moscow’s continued offensive.
