Trump Maintains August 8 Deadline for Russia to Commit to Peace, Threatens Tariffs

The Kremlin confirmed on August 6 that the Russian leader met in Moscow with Stephen Witkoff, an envoy of US President Donald Trump, just days ahead of Trump’s declared deadline for Russia to agree to end its war against Ukraine, according to Reuters publication on August 6.

According to Reuters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called the Putin-Witkoff meeting “very useful, detailed, and candid,” while refusing to disclose specifics. Peskov noted that “the state of the global economy and energy markets was part of the conversation,” but did not say whether the war in Ukraine was directly discussed.

Witkoff, a long-time Trump associate and real estate developer, is not a formal US government official but traveled to Moscow as a trusted intermediary. Russian state media portrayed the visit as a significant diplomatic signal amid Trump’s push to bring the war to a negotiated end.

President Trump has set a Friday, August 8 deadline for Moscow to commit to peace or face sweeping secondary sanctions and tariffs on countries importing Russian oil.

“If Russia does not come to the table, we will move forward with penalties against its top energy buyers,” Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg, directly naming China, India, and Brazil.

Meanwhile, it was reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that he spoke with President Trump by phone following Witkoff’s Moscow meeting.

“The war must end. And it must end honestly,” Zelenskyy said in a statement, adding that European leaders joined the call and reiterated their unified position.

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