US envoy Witkoff meets Putin ahead of ceasefire deadline

Russian President Vladimir Putin received US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff at the Kremlin on Wednesday, just two days before hitting a deadline for Moscow to reach a ceasefire in Ukraine or face new sanctions

The meeting between Putin and Witkoff was announced by the Kremlin in a statement, but it provided no immediate details on the talks. It later posted a video of the Russian president and US special envoy shaking hands.

Witkoff arrived in Moscow earlier Wednesday in what is his fifth visit to Russia since the start of the year, with his latest two visits in April, during which he again met with Putin.

The visit is taking place two days before hitting a 10-day deadline set by Trump for Russia to reach a ceasefire deal with Ukraine, set for this Friday.

In June, Trump gave Russia a 50-day window, after which he threatened to impose import duties of up to 100% on Russia and its trading partners unless Moscow and Kyiv reach an agreement.

On July 29, Trump announced that he had decided to reduce that deadline to 10 days over his "disappointment" with Putin.