Kremlin Scrambles to Avoid Trump’s Sanctions as Witkoff Touches Down in Moscow

U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, arrived in Moscow on August 6 following a request from the Kremlin for urgent talks aimed at averting a new wave of American sanctions. The visit comes amid rising tensions over Russia’s continued military campaign in Ukraine and Trump’s growing impatience with Vladimir Putin.

According to Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti, the aircraft transporting Witkoff landed at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport ahead of his anticipated meetings with senior Russian officials. There is also speculation that he may meet directly with President Putin. These talks are seen as a last opportunity for Moscow to persuade the Trump administration to hold off on its latest sanctions package.

Trump has warned that unless Putin agrees to a ceasefire in Ukraine by August 8, his administration is prepared to implement fresh sanctions. Among the measures reportedly under consideration is a crackdown on Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers, which the White House believes is being used to circumvent existing energy sanctions.

Despite the urgency of the situation, Trump has expressed skepticism that Putin is genuinely interested in ending the war. The U.S. president has grown increasingly distrustful of the Russian leader and has made clear he will not be easily convinced by what he perceives as stalling tactics. “We have a meeting with Russia tomorrow,” Trump said a day before Witkoff’s arrival. “We’re going to see what happens. We’ll make that determination at that time.”

Putin continues to insist on sweeping terms to end the conflict, including full control over the partially occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, as well as imposing limits on the size of Ukraine’s armed forces. These demands have been consistently rejected by Kyiv and the West as unacceptable.

Witkoff, a real estate developer and longtime Trump associate with no formal diplomatic background before entering government, has stirred controversy during his tenure. He has been viewed by some in Washington as unusually lenient toward Moscow, and has faced criticism—particularly from Ukraine and its allies—for repeating narratives aligned with Russian interests. In July, he reportedly advocated within the Trump administration for easing U.S. energy sanctions on Russia, a position that drew sharp backlash from hardliners in Congress and European partners.

This week's visit to Moscow is set against a notably different backdrop from Witkoff’s last encounter with Putin in April. Since that meeting, Russia has escalated its campaign of missile and drone strikes across Ukraine, including direct attacks on Kyiv. Diplomatic efforts to broker a ceasefire have stalled, further straining relations between Washington and Moscow.

The outcome of Witkoff’s mission remains uncertain, but officials familiar with the Trump administration’s internal deliberations say the president’s patience is wearing thin. The Moscow talks are viewed as a final test of whether Putin is prepared to compromise, or whether Trump will move forward with what his team has described as “severe and immediate consequences.”