Donald Trump commented on today's visit of his special envoy to Moscow and his talks with Vladimir Putin, calling the meeting «very productive». «Everyone agrees that this war must end, and we will work on this in the coming days and weeks», — he wrote on his social network Truth Social. However, as reported by several publications, Trump's plans to impose sanctions on August 8 remain unchanged.
Earlier, Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov reported that Russia «sent signals to the American side on the Ukrainian issue and received corresponding signals from Trump».
Immediately after the meeting between Putin and Witkoff, Trump imposed additional 25-percent tariffs against India, one of the largest buyers of Russian oil, for purchasing energy resources from Russia. Initially, Trump promised 100-percent tariffs for purchases of Russian raw materials, but today he stated that he «never mentioned a percentage».
Trump also called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian president reported that European leaders also participated in the conversation. «Our common position with partners is absolutely clear: the war must end. And it must be an honest conclusion», — Zelensky stated.
Later in an evening video address, Zelensky clarified: «It seems that Russia is now more inclined towards a ceasefire. The pressure on them is working. But the main thing is that they do not deceive us in the details — neither us nor the United States»