Witkoff meets Putin as Trump eyes sanctioning Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ if Ukraine truce talks fail

Ahead of this week’s deadline by President Donald Trump for a ceasefire in Ukraine, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday met Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

The Witkoff-Putin meeting took place amid reports that the Russian leader was considering a piecemeal ceasefire and Trump was considering sanctioning Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ — a fleet of ageing tankers with opaque ownership used to transport sanctioned goods.

In visuals released by Russian state media, Witkoff and Putin are seen smiling and laughing as they cordially shake hands. Witkoff has long been friendly with Russia and Putin — and the friendly demeanour has persisted even as Trump has increasingly expressed frustration with Putin in recent weeks.

🇷🇺Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov is also attending the meeting between Putin and Witkoff https://t.co/Kj8t4IiiO6 pic.twitter.com/c5rydQUq9L

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) August 6, 2025

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The Witkoff-Putin meeting lasted for more than three years, according to Russian state media.

There were no immediate statements from either side.

Putin planning concessions to placate Trump — and outsmart him

Ahead of the meeting, however, Bloomberg had reported that the Kremlin was weighing options for a concession to Trump that could include a ceasefire regarding aerial attacks on Ukraine.

Such a decision appears to be aimed at placating Trump and taking his attention off the war in Ukraine by giving him a victory that he could hail in front of his supporters. In reality, such a ceasefire may not mean much as ground offensives will not be stopped in any case.

Moreover, any pause in the war that does not lead to an irreversible pathway for the end of the war will be used by Putin to replenish the ranks of its forces and rearm his troops to resume the war with greater force at a later date of his choice, according to analysts.

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“For Putin, the ideal scenario is to freeze the conflict for a while, build up strength, and then resume the war — ideally with a more plausible pretext, such as accusing Ukraine of failing to comply with peace agreements,” Kseniya Kirillova, a Russia analyst at Jamestown Foundation, previously told Firstpost.

Sergei Markov, a Moscow-based political consultant close to the Kremlin, said that Putin is hoping to give a “gift” to Trump to get his way.

“Trump needs some kind of a ‘gift’, a concession from Russia. An air truce could be such a gift,” Markov told Bloomberg.

On his part, Financial Times has reported that Trump has considered imposing sanctions on Russia’s shadow fleet if Putin would not agree to a ceasefire by Friday.

This would be the first time that Trump would slap sanctions on Russia in his second term.

Two people familiar with the White House’s deliberations said additional US sanctions on the Russian shadow fleet were seen as an easy first step to impose costs on Russia for the failure to make peace, according to the newspaper.

Witkoff-Putin bonhomie at display

Even as Trump has changed his tone on Putin in recent weeks, Witkoff and Putin met with smiles, laughter, and warm handshakes.

Betraying the gravity of the moment, or ignoring it, Witkoff was seen taking an early morning stroll through Moscow’s Zaryadye Park with Putin’s close advisor Kirill Dmitriev, according to The Independent.

Dmitriev is known as ‘Putin’s Trump whisperer’ and has often taken part in talks with the Trump administration.