US President Donald Trump has confirmed that his special envoy Steve Witkoff will visit Russia on Wednesday or Thursday, a day or two before the US issues an ultimatum to the Russian president to end the war in Ukraine.
"The envoy's visit will be next Sunday, Wednesday or Thursday," the US president told reporters last night.
He also said that two US nuclear submarines, whose deployment he ordered after an online dispute with former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, are now in the region.
He did not say whether they were nuclear-powered submarines or submarines equipped with nuclear warheads. He also did not provide details about the exact location of their deployment, which the US military keeps secret.
This show of force came after Trump set a deadline of the end of the week for Russia to take action to end the war in Ukraine, under threat of new sanctions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had already met with Steve Vitkoff several times in Moscow, before Trump's efforts to reestablish relations with the Kremlin abruptly ended.
When asked by reporters what Vitkoff's message to Moscow would be and whether there was anything Russia could do to avoid sanctions, Trump replied: "Yes, to make a deal and stop people getting killed."
Trump has threatened to impose "secondary tariffs" on countries that continue to trade with Russia, such as China and India.
See more:
Download the app and follow the news
FOLLOW US ON
