US Emissar in Moscow before US ceasefire deadline expired in Ukraine

The United States' special envoy, Steve Whitoff, has arrived in Moscow on 6 August, where he is expected to meet senior Russian officials.

The visit of the American emissary takes place just two days before the deadline the White House has set for Russia to make progress towards a ceasefire with Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump has warned of the introduction of tariffs to Russian exports and secondary sanctions on countries that continue to buy oil from Russia, measures aimed at increasing pressure on Moscow to end the war launched in February 2022.

The secondary measures, according to American officials, would mainly target China and India the biggest Russian oil buyers.

After the departure of Witkoff's trip to Moscow, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine nominated Russia “to the sky” No rocket attacks or drones, and no shock to civilian or energy infrastructure.

Trump, who recently expressed more and more dissatisfaction with Putin, warned last week that “will have sanctions, but they seem to be very good at avoiding them”.

Trump also said it would increase “significantly” tariffs to India, due to the continuation of Russian oil purchases from this state.

Asked on August 3rd what is the message Wtkoff will be conveyed to Moscow and if Russia can avoid sanctions, Trump answered briefly: “Yes, to make an agreement banning the” killings.

The Kremlin has provided some details about the visit. spokesman Dmitry Peskov declared on August 4th that “we always welcome Mr. Whitoff in Moscow... This is a key and useful”.

In another statement to the Russian agency TASS, Peskov said that improving US relations would take time, due to “entia” and lack of direct meetings between Presidents Putin and Trump.

President Trump has announced on July 14th that he has given Russia 50 days to end the war in Ukraine, instead strict tariffs will be imposed on Russian exports. He then transferred the deadline for earlier August 8th.

The new deadline came in a period of fierce attacks in Ukraine. On July 31, more than 300 Russian fears hit Kiev, killing at least 31 people. Ukrainian forces have also stepped up attacks on Russian infrastructure.

Some analysts warn that threats to China for its oil imports from Russia could have a reverse effect and lead to global energy prices rise.

However, according to political analyst Alexander Morozov from Charles University in Prague, the United States wants any decision made prior to Putin's scheduled visit to Beijing, where he is expected to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

The United States intends to enter the APEC summit on October 31st with a trade agreement with China and, ideally, with a joint position also for the war in Ukraine”, Morozov said.

At the same time, Trump has claimed to have moved to certain submarine regions with nuclear capacity. He said on August 1st that this decision was taken after “the extremely provocative” by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev./Periscopi/