Witkoff Holds Talks With Putin as Trump’s Ukraine War Deadline Looms

U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will implement ’severe tariffs’ on Russia if they do not make progress on peace talks with Ukraine by Aug. 9.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff (R) shake hands at the Kremlin in Moscow on Aug. 6, 2025. Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik/Kremlin/via AP

U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks in the Kremlin on Aug. 6 as Washington’s deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine approaches.

The meeting between Witkoff and Putin lasted for three hours, but details have not yet emerged of what they discussed.