Witkoff and Putin meeting 'highly productive', Trump says

US has threatened to impose secondary tariffs on countries importing Russian oil

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and US special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff at the Kremlin in Moscow on August 6. The White House said their talks were 'high productive'. EPA

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the meeting between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin was "highly productive".

He added that "great progress was made" and that he had updated some European allies on the details of the meeting.

"Everyone agrees this war must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come," he said on his Truth Social platform.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there had been a call following the meeting, including himself, Mr Trump and European leaders.

"Our joint position with our partners is absolutely clear – the war must end. And it must be done honestly," Mr Zelenskyy said in a post on X. "Ukraine will definitely defend its independence. We all need a lasting and reliable peace. Russia must end the war that it itself started."

A White House official said that Mr Trump is planning to meet separately with Mr Zelenskyy and Mr Putin as soon as next week.

But Washington still expects to impose secondary tariffs on Moscow's trading partners on Friday, a senior administration official told The National.

In July, the US set a 50-day deadline for Moscow to stop hostilities, threatening to impose secondary tariffs on trading partners importing Russian fuel. Mr Witkoff's visit is viewed as a last-ditch effort to end the conflict ahead of a deadline on Friday.

The administration official added that “the Russians are eager to continue engaging with the United States”.

Mr Putin’s foreign affairs adviser said that the two men had a “useful and constructive conversation” that focused on Ukraine as well as “prospects for possible development of strategic co-operation between the US and Russia”.

Mr Trump, who campaigned on ending the war that has raged since early 2022, has become increasingly frustrated with his counterpart as Moscow's forces advance in Ukraine and its bomb and missile strikes killed hundreds of civilians.

Overnight on Tuesday, Russian forces hit a recreational centre in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, killing two people and injuring 12, including two children, according to local authorities.

On entering office in January, Mr Trump attempted a more conciliatory tone with his Russian counterpart, in contrast to his predecessor Joe Biden, who enacted punishing sanctions against Moscow over the conflict. But relations frayed following a series of meetings with Ukrainian and Russian officials that failed to bring the war to a halt.