Witkoff travels to Russia as Trump's threat of sanctions grows

Witkoff travels to Russia as Trump's threat of sanctions grows

The trusted foreign representative of President Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff, is expected in Moscow on Wednesday. The Kremlin has requested a meeting with him in a last-minute push against the draconian new sanctions that Trump has already announced.

Meeting with Russian officials

Witkoff will meet with Russian officials, possibly including President Vladimir Putin, as Russia's war in Ukraine continues. Whether Putin can convince Witkoff, and indirectly Trump, that he is interested in ending the war remains to be seen. Trump has doubts about Putin's willingness to end the fighting and appears wary of being duped by a leader he increasingly distrusts.

Putin's maximalists

Putin continues to pursue his ambitious goals in the conflict, including seizing the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson and calling for limits on the size of the Ukrainian military. Trump announced a day before Witkoff's meeting that he wanted to wait until the talks were completed before adopting the new sanctions.

Zelensky on possible sanctions

Before Witkoff's visit, Trump spoke by telephone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about possible sanctions against Moscow. In a statement posted on social media, Zelensky said these sanctions could “change a lot” regarding the Russian economy.

Respond to lightning operations by US forces

Trump has also announced that he will reposition two US nuclear submarines in order to be “prepared”. This is in response to provocative statements by Dmitry Medvedev, the former president of Russia and current deputy chairman of the Security Council. Still, some European officials said Medvedev does not play a relevant role in this context.

Threat of sanctions

Trump is threatening two different types of measures if Moscow does not reach a peace agreement by Friday. He plans to impose new sanctions on Russian imports to the United States, which will have little impact given the near standstill of trade between the two countries. He is also threatening “secondary tariffs” on countries that import Russian energy, including China and India.

Challenge for Witkoff

In recent months, Witkoff has taken a less active role in talks over the Ukraine conflict as Russia has not taken substantive steps to end the conflict. Nevertheless, its role in the Ukraine talks remains important, particularly given recent developments in the conflict and the geopolitical landscape.

Trump has already mentioned that he may step up action against India over its purchasing policies for Russian energy. The whole situation remains exciting and has far-reaching geopolitical implications that will continue to have an impact for a long time.