Last moment mission in Moscow. Trump sends his emissary to the Kremlin three days before the deadline for stopping the war. What message does it have for Putin

US President Donald Trump has announced that he will send his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Moscow this week, before the Friday-deadline, which was set to obtain progress in the direction of the Ukraine war. Trump said Witkoff will go to Russia's capital on Wednesday or Thursday, according to The Guardian.

Asked on Sunday what message will send his emissaries and what Vladimir Putin should do to avoid new sanctions, the White House leader said: “Yes, to reach an agreement in which people cease to be killed.”

In Kiev, few believe that Steve Witkoff will make real progress in discussions with Vladimir Putin, but there is hope that Trump's tuna and the tougher attitude towards Moscow could lead to a concrete change in the support of Ukraine.

At the beginning of his term, Trump was convinced that he can reach an agreement with Putin, but in recent weeks it seems more dissatisfied with Russia's actions. On Thursday, he qualified as “disgusting” continuous attacks on civilian areas of Ukraine, and on Sunday he said that two nuclear submarines, which he sent after threats from former Russian president Dmitri Medvedev, is now “in the region”, without providing other details.

Trump had initially announced in July a period of 50 days for Russia and Ukraine to end the war, but last week he said he no longer believes that Moscow was seriously dealing with this goal and reduced the deadline to “10 or 12 days”, later stating that the deadline is on Friday, August 8.

The US president has previously said that, if no progress is made until this term, he has new measures, including the imposition of “secondary rates” that could target Russia's remaining trading partners, such as China and India.

Mykhailo Podoliak, an advisor to Ukrainian president Volodimir Zelenski, said that if Russia does not radically change its behavior until Friday, Ukraine expects the US to apply secondary sanctions against Russian oil exports.

“After this step, Trump will analyze whether or not the measures help to stop the war.

According to him, the next measure could be the extension of sanctions and increasing military support for Ukraine. “Trump has already said that he is willing to sell to Europe how many weapons he wants, to be sent to Ukraine. So far he had not made such statements … It is clear that we are talking about another vision of the world,” he added.

Witkoff's visit to Moscow, test for Trump's diplomatic strategy

Until then, all eyes are heading for Steve Witkoff's visit to Moscow. At previous trips, he had long meetings tête-à-tête with Vladimir Putin and spoke openly about his sympathy towards the Russian leader.

At one of the meetings, Putin offered him an oil painting that represented Donald Trump. On another occasion, Witkoff came without an interpreter and used a translator provided by the Kremlin.

This close relationship has aroused concerns in both Kiev and other US allies, who wonders if Steve Witkoff is truly capable of sending firm messages to Moscow.

However, this week's visit will be the first after Donald Trump's rhetoric about the Ukraine war became visibly harder.

The Kremlin said on Monday that he is “always happy to receive Mr. Witkoff in Moscow”, and a meeting with President Vladimir Putin is possible, according to the spokesman Dmitri Peskov.

On Friday, Putin said he supports “a sustainable and stable peace, based on solid foundations, which satisfies both Russia and Ukraine and ensure the security of both countries.”

However, although it makes such statements periodically, the Kremlin leader clearly showed that Russia's maximum objectives remain practically unchanged: control over the four Ukrainian regions claimed by Moscow and a firm commitment that Ukraine will never join NATO.

Direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine took place in Turkey, and the last round took place last month in Istanbul. However, the discussions were blocked in less than an hour, and the only concrete result obtained so far is a series of agreements regarding the prisoners' exchanges.

Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski announced on Sunday that, following the last discussions in Istanbul, a new exchange of prisoners have been agreed, through which 1,200 Ukrainian soldiers will return home.

Zelenski said he wants a direct meeting with Vladimir Putin, having either mediators either Donald Trump or Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. But Putin rejected the idea, saying that he does not see the meaning of a meeting until a clear plan to cease fire is outlined. However, the fact that Moscow sent to the Turkish negotiations a delegation led by the former Minister of Culture, Vladimir Medinsky – known for his patriotic writings than for the diplomatic experience – suggests that the Kremlin is not really interested in an agreement, notes the source.

“The countries that believed that Russia is ready for discussions and that the war could end as soon as Ukraine accepts negotiations can now see that Moscow is not arranged for a real dialogue,” said presidential counselor Mykhailo Podoliak.

Meanwhile, Russia continues to hit Ukraine almost every night with drones and rockets. Last week was one of the most bloody in the last period in terms of civil victims – a single wave of attacks on Kiev killed 31 people, including five children.

Both sides continue to attack the other state infrastructure. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Monday that anti -aircraft defense has intercepted 61 Ukrainian drones overnight.