President Donald Trump stated his international envoy Steve Witkoff will journey to Russia within the coming days because the president requires an finish to the battle in Ukraine.
Trump revealed Witkoff’s beforehand unknown journey plans throughout an occasion on the White House Thursday afternoon, the place he additionally stated he deliberate to use new sanctions on Moscow and described Russia’s continued assaults on Kyiv as “disgusting.”
“He’s going to Russia, believe it or not,” Trump stated when questioned about Witkoff’s present journey to the Middle East, the place he’s assembly with officers to debate Israel’s warfare in Gaza.
Additional particulars on Witkoff’s upcoming journey weren’t instantly obtainable.
Witkoff’s final identified go to to Russia was in April, when he met President Vladimir Putin within the Kremlin. Those talks didn’t yield an instantaneous breakthrough in bringing the Ukraine warfare to an finish. And since then, Trump’s frustration towards Putin has elevated as prospects for peace develop dim.
Trump vented that anger Thursday when questioned about Moscow’s newest barrage of missiles and drones aimed towards Ukraine.
“I think it’s disgusting what they’re doing. I think it’s disgusting,” he stated.
And whereas he affirmed that he deliberate to use new sanctions on Russia — which he’d beforehand threatened if Moscow didn’t comply with a peace deal by subsequent week — he additionally downplayed the impact they could have on the course of the warfare or Putin’s mindset.
“Yeah, we’re going to put sanctions,” he stated. “I don’t know that sanctions bother him. You know, they know about sanctions. I know better than anybody about sanctions and tariffs and everything else. I don’t know if that has any effect, but we’re going to do it.”