WASHINGTON — The Trump administration plans to move forward with secondary sanctions on Russia this week, a White House official said after U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met in Moscow on Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The meeting with Russia and Special Envoy Witkoff went well," the official said. The Russians are eager to continue engaging with the United States. The secondary sanctions are still expected to be implemented on Friday."
President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that the meeting was "highly productive."
“Great progress was made!" Trump wrote. "Afterwards, I updated some of our European Allies. Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come."
Trump could meet with Putin as early as next week if Putin agrees to also meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a White House official told NBC News. It’s unclear whether Putin will agree to that. It’s also unclear when and where the talks would take place.
Trump also told European leaders on a call Wednesday that he plans to meet Putin in person soon to discuss a potential ceasefire in Ukraine, a European official briefed on the call told NBC News. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte were on the call.
Zelenskyy wrote on X that he spoke to Trump after Witkoff's meeting.
"Our joint position with our partners is absolutely clear — the war must end. And it must be done honestly," Zelenskyy wrote, noting that European leaders were on the call.
"We discussed what was spelled out in Moscow," Zelenskyy continued. "Ukraine will definitely defend its independence. We all need a lasting and reliable peace. Russia must end the war that it itself started. Thank you to everyone who stands with Ukraine."
Russian officials put a positive spin on the meeting, which came just days before the White House’s deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or potentially face severe economic penalties that could also hit countries buying its oil.
The talks were "very useful and constructive," Putin’s longtime foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, said of the meeting, adding that they covered Ukraine and U.S.-Russia relations.
"Our side has forwarded some signals, in particular on the Ukrainian issue, and corresponding signals were received from President Trump," Ushakov added in the statement to Russian state media, which also reported that the talks lasted for three hours.
He refrained from adding much more detail, saying Russian officials were waiting to see when Witkoff could report to Trump about the conversation.
“After that, obviously, we will be able to add something substantial to my comments,” Ushakov said.
Earlier, Witkoff took an early morning stroll through Zaryadye Park, a stone’s throw from the Kremlin, with Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s envoy for investment and economic cooperation, video aired by Tass showed.
Dmitriev later thanked people on X for their "kind wishes" for a successful Witkoff visit, saying "dialogue will prevail."
Dmitriev played a key role in three rounds of direct talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul in recent months, as well as discussions between Russian and U.S. officials. The negotiations have made no progress on ending the three-year war following Russia’s invasion of its neighbor.
Trump’s deadline for Putin ends Friday. Washington has threatened “severe tariffs” and other economic penalties if the killing doesn’t stop.
Trump has expressed increasing frustration with Putin over Russia’s escalating strikes on civilian areas of Ukraine, intended to erode morale and public appetite for the war. The intensified attacks have occurred even as Trump has urged Putin in recent months to relent.
Overnight Tuesday, Russian forces hit a recreational center in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, killing two people and injuring 12, including two children, regional Gov. Ivan Fedorov said Wednesday.
Russian forces launched at least four strikes on the area and initially attacked with powerful glide bombs.
“There is zero military sense in this strike. Only cruelty to intimidate,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram.
Western analysts and Ukrainian officials say Putin is stalling for time and avoiding serious negotiations while Russian forces push to capture more Ukraine land. A Russian offensive that started in the spring and is expected to continue through the fall is advancing faster than last year’s push but is making only slow and costly gains and has been unable to take any major cities.
The situation on the front line is critical for Ukrainian forces, but defenses are not about to collapse, analysts say.
On Tuesday, Trump said “we’ll see what happens” about his threat to slap tariffs on nations that buy Russian oil, which could increase import taxes dramatically on China and India.
“We have a meeting with Russia tomorrow,” Trump said. “We’re going to see what happens. We’ll make that determination at that time.”
He said he has not publicly committed to a specific tariff rate.
Stepping up diplomatic and economic pressure on the Kremlin risks stoking international tensions amid worsening Russia-U.S. relations.
The Washington-based Center for European Policy Analysis warned in an assessment this week that there are “clear signs that the Kremlin is preparing for a broader confrontation with NATO,” including a military build-up along Russia’s western flank with alliance countries in recent years.
Putin has given no hint that he might be ready to make concessions. Instead, he and senior Kremlin officials have talked up the country’s military strength.
Putin announced last week that Russia’s new hypersonic missile, which he says cannot be intercepted by current NATO air defense systems, has entered service.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, meantime, warned that the Ukraine war could bring Russia and the United States into armed conflict. Trump responded to that by ordering the repositioning of two U.S. nuclear submarines.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday welcomed Witkoff’s visit. “We consider [talks with Witkoff] important, substantive and very useful,” he said.
Trump initially gave Moscow a 50-day deadline but later moved up his ultimatum as the Kremlin continued to bomb Ukrainian cities.
However, Trump himself doubted their effectiveness, saying Sunday that Russia has proven to be “pretty good at avoiding sanctions.”
“They’re wily characters,” he said.
The Kremlin has insisted that international sanctions imposed since its February 2022 invasion of its neighbor have had a limited impact.
Ukraine maintains the sanctions are taking their toll on Moscow’s war machine and wants Western allies to ramp them up.
