President Trump has announced that his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, currently in the Middle East, will be visiting Russia next. Witkoff has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin multiple times in Moscow before Trump’s previous attempts to improve relations with the Kremlin stalled. Washington has given Moscow a deadline until the end of next week to cease hostilities in Ukraine or face severe economic sanctions. Trump reiterated this ultimatum on Thursday. “We’re going to put sanctions. I don’t know that sanctions bother him,” the US president said, referring to Putin.
Previously, Trump has also threatened that new measures could include “secondary tariffs” on Russia’s remaining trade partners, such as China and India. While this would further pressure Russia, it also risks significant international disruption. Trump began his second term with optimistic predictions that the war in Ukraine, which started with Russia’s invasion in February 2022, would soon conclude. However, in recent weeks, Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Putin over Moscow’s persistent offensive.
Meanwhile, Putin has stated that Russia seeks “a lasting and stable peace” in Ukraine, adding that Moscow’s conditions for peace remain unchanged. This comes as Kyiv has renewed its call for a meeting between leaders. Despite increasing pressure from Trump, Putin has consistently rejected calls to halt his nearly three-and-a-half-year assault on Ukraine. On Friday, Putin told reporters, “We need a lasting and stable peace on solid foundations that would satisfy both Russia and Ukraine, and would ensure the security of both countries.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pushing for a meeting with Putin to end the conflict, with Kyiv proposing talks by the end of August. He repeated this call on Friday, stating on social media, “We understand who makes the decisions in Russia and who must end this war.”
A Call for ‘Regime Change’
Zelenskyy also announced on Friday that rescue operations were complete in Kyiv following Russian drone and missile strikes from the previous day. “Unfortunately, as of now, 31 people are known to have died, including five children. The youngest child was only two years old,” he wrote on social media. The president also reported that Russia used over 3,800 drones and nearly 260 missiles in its attacks on Ukraine during July.
In an earlier statement, made just hours after the deadly attack on the Ukrainian capital, Zelenskyy urged allies to work towards “regime change” in Russia. Speaking virtually to a conference marking the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Accords, Zelenskyy said he believed Russia could be “pushed” to stop the war. “But if the world doesn’t aim to change the regime in Russia, that means even after the war ends, Moscow will still try to destabilise neighbouring countries,” he stated.
According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia launched at least 300 drones and eight cruise missiles at Ukraine from late Wednesday to early Thursday, with Kyiv as the primary target. Moscow has intensified its deadly aerial assaults on Ukraine in recent months, resisting US pressure to end its invasion as its forces continue to advance on the battlefield.
In response, Germany announced on Friday that it would soon begin delivering two more Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine. The defense ministry stated that following an agreement with the US, German forces will supply additional Patriot launchers in the coming days and more components over the next two to three months.
