Trump’s deadline for the Kremlin looms but Putin shows no sign of making
concessions
[August 05, 2025]
By The Associated Press
The coming week could mark a pivotal moment in the war between Russia
and Ukraine, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s deadline for the Kremlin
to reach a peace deal approaches — or it could quietly pass without
consequence.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff was expected in Moscow midweek, just
before Trump’s Friday deadline for the Kremlin to stop the killing or
face potentially severe economic penalties from Washington.
So far Trump's promises, threats and cajoling have failed to shift the
Kremlin's position, and the stubborn diplomatic stalemate remains in
place. Meanwhile, Ukraine is losing more territory on the front line,
although there is no sign of a looming collapse of its defenses.
Trump's envoy is expected in Moscow
Witkoff is expected to land in the Russian capital on Wednesday or
Thursday, according to Trump, following his trip to Israel and Gaza.
“They would like to see (Witkoff),” Trump said Sunday of the Russians.
“They’ve asked that he meet so we’ll see what happens.”
Trump, exasperated that Russian President Vladimir Putin hasn’t heeded
his calls to stop bombing Ukrainian cities, a week ago moved up his
ultimatum to impose additional sanctions on Russia as well as introduce
secondary tariffs targeting countries that buy Russian oil, including
China and India.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that officials are happy to
meet with Trump’s envoy. “We are always glad to see Mr. Witkoff in
Moscow,” he said. “We consider (talks with Witkoff) important,
substantive and very useful.”
Trump is not sure sanctions will work
Trump said Sunday that Russia has proven to be “pretty good at avoiding
sanctions.”
“They’re wily characters,” he said of the Russians.
The Kremlin has insisted that international sanctions imposed since its
February 2022 invasion of its neighbor have had a limited impact.
Ukraine insists the sanctions are taking their toll on Moscow’s war
machine and wants Western allies to ramp them up. Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday urged the United States, Europe and other
nations to impose stronger secondary sanctions on Moscow’s energy, trade
and banking sectors.
Trump’s comments appeared to signal he doesn’t have much hope that
sanctions will force Putin’s hand.
The secondary sanctions also complicate Washington’s relations with
China and India, who stand accused of helping finance Russia’s war
effort by buying its oil.
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In this photo provided by Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade press
service, smoke rises after a Russian drone hit the market in the
town of Druzhkivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025,
(Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade via AP)
Since returning to office in January, Trump has found that stopping
the war is harder than he perhaps imagined.
Senior American officials have warned that the U.S. could walk away
from the conflict if peace efforts make no progress.
Putin shows no signs of making concessions
The diplomatic atmosphere has become more heated as Trump’s deadline
approaches.
Putin announced last Friday that Russia’s new hypersonic missile,
the Oreshnik, has entered service.
The Russian leader has hailed its capabilities, saying its multiple
warheads that plunge to a target at speeds of up to Mach 10 cannot
be intercepted. He claimed that they are so powerful that the use of
several of them in one conventional strike could be as devastating
as a nuclear attack.
Separately, one of Putin’s top lieutenants warned that the Ukraine
war could nudge Russia and the U.S. into armed conflict.
Trump responded to what he called the “highly provocative
statements” by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev by ordering
the repositioning of two U.S. nuclear submarines.
Putin has repeated the same message throughout the war: He will only
accept a settlement on his terms and will keep fighting until
they’re met.
The war is killing thousands of troops and civilians
Russia’s relentless pounding of urban areas behind the front line
have killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the
United Nations. It has pushed on with that tactic despite Trump’s
public calls for it to stop over the past three months.
On the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, Russia’s bigger army
has made slow and costly progress. It is carrying out a sustained
operation to take the eastern city of Pokrovsk, a key logistical hub
whose fall could open the way for a deeper drive into Ukraine.
Ukraine has developed technology that has allowed it to launch
long-range drone attacks deep inside Russia. In its latest strike it
hit an oil depot near Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi, starting a
major fire.
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