Trump sends Witkoff to Russia ahead of Ukraine war sanctions deadline

US President Donald Trump confirmed Sunday that his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is set to travel to Russia this week for discussions with Kremlin officials, just days before a sanctions deadline Trump imposed on Moscow over its ongoing war in Ukraine.

Witkoff’s trip, expected to take place “Wednesday or Thursday,” comes amid growing tensions between Washington and Moscow, and as Trump escalates pressure for a ceasefire in Ukraine. “Yeah, get a deal where people stop getting killed,” Trump told reporters when asked what message his envoy would deliver.

The president also revealed that two US nuclear submarines had been deployed to an unspecified location “in the region” following an online exchange with former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Trump did not clarify whether the submarines are nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed, and the Pentagon has not released any information about their position.

Read more: Trump: US is deploying nuclear submarines over provocative Russian remarks

Trump has issued an ultimatum for the Kremlin to take concrete steps toward ending the war by the end of the week or face a new round of sanctions. While he has not detailed what those measures would entail, he previously hinted at possible “secondary tariffs” that could affect countries still maintaining economic ties with Russia, including China and India. Such tariffs could compound the pressure on Moscow but risk triggering wider global economic disruptions.

Despite these warnings, Russian President Vladimir Putin remains firm on his conditions for peace. “We need a lasting and stable peace on solid foundations that would satisfy both Russia and Ukraine,” he told reporters Friday. However, he added, “the conditions… certainly remain the same,” reiterating demands that Kyiv relinquish control over four contested regions and abandon its NATO aspirations, terms Ukraine has repeatedly rejected.

In parallel developments, the military standoff continued over the weekend. Ukrainian forces launched a drone strike Sunday that caused a fire at an oil depot in Sochi, while Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed on Monday that its air defenses shot down 61 Ukrainian drones overnight. Ukrainian officials reported that one civilian was killed in shelling in the Kherson region.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that negotiations with Russia had yielded a possible prisoner exchange agreement, which could bring home 1,200 Ukrainian troops. The deal follows talks between the two sides held in Istanbul last month.