{"id":159655,"date":"2025-08-06T08:47:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T08:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-war-latest-us-envoy-witkoff-arrives-in-moscow-as-trumps-deadline-for-putin-looms-sky-news\/"},"modified":"2025-08-06T08:47:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T08:47:14","slug":"ukraine-war-latest-us-envoy-witkoff-arrives-in-moscow-as-trumps-deadline-for-putin-looms-sky-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-war-latest-us-envoy-witkoff-arrives-in-moscow-as-trumps-deadline-for-putin-looms-sky-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine war latest: US envoy Witkoff arrives in Moscow as Trump's deadline for Putin looms – Sky News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Donald Trump’s top negotiator Steve Witkoff has arrived in Moscow, with the Kremlin not ruling out a meeting with Vladimir Putin. It comes two days before Trump’s deadline for the Russian leader to stop fighting or face harsh sanctions. Follow the latest below.
Wednesday 6 August 2025 09:20, UK
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The US has approved more than $200m in deals to supply arms to Ukraine.
Ukraine’s defence ministry said the first package includes equipment, repairs and technical support for M777 howitzers, valued at $104m.
It also provides for repair services and long-term maintenance of the weapon system.
The second package, which is worth $99.5m, covers transportation and cargo services, as well as other logistical services.
“This is an extremely important contribution to saving lives and ensuring lasting peace in Europe,” Ukraine’s defence minister Denys Shmyhal said.
“We thank the president of the United States, the US secretary of defence and the American people for their consistent support of Ukraine.”
As Donald Trump’s deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire nears, the US president is reportedly weighing up how he can hit Moscow through sanctions.
According to the Financial Times, Trump’s administration is considering additional sanctions on Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of oil tankers.
The fleet consists of old-age ships deployed around the world to transport embargoed Russian oil products.
Back in May, the European Union targeted tankers from the fleet in its 17th sanctions package on Russia.
Yesterday, Trump said declining energy prices could pressure Vladimir Putin to halt the war in Ukraine.
He also said that he will soon raise tariffs on India “very substantially” over its continued purchase of Russian oil, with the move criticised by New Delhi and Moscow.
Donald Trump has sent his top negotiator to Moscow just days before his self-imposed deadline on Russia to reach a peace deal expires.
It is the latest move in what appears to be a fractured relationship between Trump and Vladimir Putin, with the US president threatening sanctions on Russia.
In the video below, our Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett<\/a> breaks down how the leaders’ relationship reached this point.
While the US continues to ramp up pressure on Russia to agree to a ceasefire, a drone attack has damaged gas infrastructure and a main pipeline in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region.
Governor Oleh Kiper said the drone attack caused a fire, leaving customers disconnected from the gas network.
“Work is currently under way to release gas from the system,” he wrote in a post on Telegram.
“As a result of damage to the main gas pipeline, 2,500 customers have been temporarily disconnected.”
The Kremlin has said that improving relations between Russia and the US will take time.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state news agency TASS “there is, of course, inertia in this process”.
“It takes time for efforts to bring bilateral relations back onto a normal track,” he added.
Peskov was speaking as Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow (see previous post).
Rising tensions between US and Russia<\/b>
Witkoff’s visit to the Russian capital comes with tensions brewing between Washington and Moscow.
Towards the end of last week, Trump said he ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the “appropriate regions” after “inflammatory” remarks by former Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev.
Now deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, Medvedev had told the US president to remember Moscow had Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities.
“I have ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that,” Trump posted on social media at the time.
“Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances.”
Donald Trump’s top negotiator Steve Witkoff has arrived in Moscow with just days to go before the US president’s deadline for Russia to make progress on a ceasefire expires.
Trump had issued a 50-day deadline for Russia, threatening sanctions as a consequence, but he has since cut it to 10 days after growing frustrated at the lack of progress being made.
It means the new deadline will expire on Friday, and the Kremlin hasn’t ruled out a meeting between Witkoff and Vladimir Putin.
A Russian source told Reuters that Witkoff will be meeting Russian leadership today.
Asked what Putin could do to avoid harsh penalties, the US president said recently: “Get a deal where people stop getting killed.”
Good morning and welcome back to our coverage of the war in Ukraine.
Efforts to bring the war to an end will continue today after Donald Trump’s top negotiator and US envoy Steve Witkoff touched down in Moscow.
The Kremlin has not ruled out a meeting with Vladimir Putin, with the pair previously holding talks back in April.
Yesterday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed Ukrainian troops in the north east of the country are fighting foreign “mercenaries” from various countries, including China, Pakistan and parts of Africa.
Donald Trump also said declining energy prices could pressure Vladimir Putin to halt the war in Ukraine.
He added that he will soon raise tariffs on India “very substantially” over its continued purchase of Russian oil, a decision criticised by New Delhi and Moscow.
Stay with us as we bring you updates through the day.
We’re taking a pause on our coverage of the war in Ukraine but we’ll be back soon.
Today, Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed Ukrainian troops in the north east of the country are fighting foreign “mercenaries” from various countries, including China, Pakistan and parts of Africa.
Zelenskyy has previously accused Moscow of recruiting Chinese fighters, which Beijing denied, while North Korea has provided thousands of its own troops in Russia’s Kursk region. 
Also, Donald Trump said declining energy prices could pressure Vladimir Putin to halt the war in Ukraine.
He added that he will soon raise tariffs on India “very substantially” over its continued purchase of Russian oil, a decision criticised by New Delhi and Moscow.
Here are the other key lines from today: 
Debris and rubble strewn across the ground.
These are just some of the scenes emerging from the town of Lozova, in the northeast Kharkiv region.
It comes after a Russian drone strike at a railway station in the region.
Governor Oleh Syniehubov said the attack involved 34 drones and damaged the train station and a nearby rail depot.
Volodymyr Zelensky has invited Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, to visit Ukraine in what would be his first official trip to the country since 2022.
In an interview with the RBK-Ukraine<\/a> news agency, Ukraine’s ambassador to Ankara, Nariman Dzheilal, said: “President Zelenskyy personally extended the invitation, and I reiterated it during my meeting with the Turkish president. 
“This visit requires significant effort, as there are many issues hindering its realisation.”
Dzheilal said the Turkish side had not yet confirmed the visit.
NATO member Turkey has maintained cordial ties with both Kyiv and Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. 
It has voiced support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and provided it with military help, while opposing sanctions on Russia.
Turkey has also hosted talks between Russia and Ukraine.
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