Trump envoy arrives in Moscow to discuss peace

US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Wednesday to meet with the Russian leadership, just days before the deadline set by the US president for Russia to cease its offensive in Ukraine.

Witkoff “was received by the President’s [Vladimir Putin] special representative, Kirill Dmitriev,” the Tass news agency wrote this morning.

Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump's right-hand man for "peacekeeping missions" in the Middle East and Ukraine, has met with the Russian leader several times, but none of those conversations have led Putin to change course.

Relations between Moscow and Washington experienced a sudden spike in tension last week, with Donald Trump sending two nuclear submarines to undisclosed locations around the world, following an online argument with former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

The US leader gave Russia ten days, or until Friday, to end its offensive in Ukraine, under penalty of new sanctions being imposed.

On the other hand, Donald Trump threatened to impose “secondary tariffs” on countries that continue to trade with Russia, such as China and India.

When asked at the White House on Tuesday whether he would impose 100% tariffs, the leader indicated that he “never spoke about a percentage, but that [the United States] will do a lot of things in that direction.”

"We have a meeting with Russia tomorrow. We'll see what happens. We'll make that decision at that time," he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday called on Western countries to "intensify pressure" on Russian oil companies' profits.

Zelensky announced that he had discussed sanctions against Moscow and military cooperation with Donald Trump by phone, mentioning on the Telegram platform a “draft agreement on drones.”

Donald Trump has publicly expressed frustration with Vladimir Putin.

When asked by reporters on Monday what Witkoff's message to Moscow would be and whether there was a way for Russia to avoid sanctions, Trump replied: "Yes, by reaching an agreement so people don't get killed."

The Kremlin, for its part, denounced the threats, which it considered illegitimate.

And, despite pressure from Washington, the Russian offensive against the neighboring country continues.

In Ukraine, Russian drone strikes injured three people early this morning in the Zaporizhia region and two in the Kherson region, according to regional military authorities.

On the other side of the front line, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the interception of 51 Ukrainian drones this morning.