Trump Envoy Visits Moscow Before Sanctions Deadline

Trump's dissatisfaction with the lack of movement on ending the Ukraine war has increased in recent months, and his visit comes as Washington is struggling to reconcile clearly different messages from its administration. He has warned of crippling tariffs on nations that persist in their purchase of Russian commodities, with a bull's eye on India, which is among the biggest consumers of Russian oil, next only to China. For its part, the Kremlin defended itself, saying that any bids to sanction trading partners are without legal grounds.

Witkoff is slated to meet with some top Russian dignitaries and maybe even President Vladimir Putin, though that meeting has not been confirmed by the Kremlin. Meetings are expected to happen on Wednesday, according to a source close to his calendar.

No Offer of Concessions From Russia
But expectations for a breakthrough, at such a late hour before the Stouras vote, are modest. Many Russian insiders feel Putin will refuse to buckle under pressure, especially as the military success of Russia's campaign is now seen as inevitable. Despite his overtures, the officials say Putin is determined to achieve all his war aims before making any concessions to Washington and is sceptical that another round of U.S. sanctions would have a meaningful impact after four years of economic penalties.

In a sign that the Kremlin does indeed view maintaining communication with Washington as critically strategic, but is not going to roll over to an unstatable cease-fire pact, Putin Monday arrived in Beijing for talks with Xi Jinping. Russia, the sources said, is still willing to cease hostilities only on terms it has been demanding for an "outrageous" two or three years.

Austrian analyst Gerhard Mangott said the arrival of Witkoff was a "last, desperate attempt" by Trump's administration. He added that the incendiary rhetoric was a sign that Russia might be ready for talks — as long as it gets what it wants.

Witkoff's Role and Criticism
Witkoff joined Trump's diplomatic team in January and has been assigned some of the highest-stakes tasks, negotiating over Ukraine and Gaza, as well as on Iran's nuclear program. Critics have slammed what they say is his dearth of diplomatic experience after he was often pictured sitting alone during interactions described by some as awkward interactions with top Russian officials — Putin, Dmitriev and Yuri Ushakov.

Critics take Witkoff to task for being too much on the side of Russian views. In a previous interview, he dismissed Russia's ambitions in Ukraine, stating it was "ludicrous" to suggest Putin had designs on more of Europe. His comments were immediately rebuffed by Ukraine and further afield in Western Europe, where there is a broad consensus that Russia still poses a threat to its neighbours.

Putin has dismissed allegations by NATO countries that the missiles Russia is developing are intended to strike NATO territory as groundless and driven by Western "bugbears". In the meantime, Witkoff is working on what might be one of the last moves to avert Trump Administration sanctions: harsh new financial restrictions that could affect not only Russia but also its worldwide trading partners.