Trump on Russia: There will be sanctions

(Patria) - US President Donald Trump confirmed that his special envoy for the Middle East and Russia, Steve Witkoff, will likely visit Moscow mid-week and that he is going there at the request of Moscow. He claims he is still ready to impose strict sanctions on Russia.

Donald Trump is seeking a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia by August 8.

- There will be sanctions, but it seems the Russians are quite good at avoiding them. You know, they are cunning, we'll see what happens. Steve Witkoff is currently focused on the border, I'm talking about Gaza and supplying people with food. He might go to Russia on Wednesday or Thursday. They would like to see him. They requested a meeting with him. We'll see what happens, he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with Witkoff in Moscow on several occasions before Trump's efforts to rebuild ties with the Kremlin abruptly stalled.

When asked by reporters what Witkoff would tell Moscow and if there was anything Russia could do to avoid sanctions, Trump replied: "Yes, reach an agreement that will stop the killing of people".

Addressing reporters, Trump also said that two submarines, which he sent near Russia after an online exchange with former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, are now "in the region".

Trump did not say whether he meant nuclear-powered submarines or submarines with nuclear weapons.

He also did not clarify where exactly the submarines were sent, which is a military secret.

Trump had previously threatened that new measures could mean "secondary tariffs" against Russia's remaining trading partners like China and India. This would further stifle Moscow, but could also negatively affect global supply chains.

Despite pressure from Washington, Russian aggression against pro-Western Ukraine continues.

Putin, who has rejected calls for a ceasefire, said on Friday that he wants peace, but that his demands for an end to the nearly three-and-a-half-year invasion "have not changed".

- We need a lasting and stable peace on a solid foundation that will satisfy both Russia and Ukraine and ensure the security of both countries, Putin told reporters.

However, he added that "the (Russian side's) conditions have certainly remained the same".

Russia has repeatedly called on Ukraine to effectively cede control over four provinces that Moscow claims to have annexed, a demand Kyiv has called unacceptable.

Putin also demands that Ukraine abandon its aspirations for NATO membership.

On Sunday, Ukraine carried out a drone attack that caused a fire at an oil depot in Sochi, the city that hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Kyiv said it would intensify its air raids on Russia in response to increased Russian attacks on its territory in recent weeks, which have killed dozens of civilians.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said on Sunday that the two countries are preparing for a prisoner exchange that will see 1,200 Ukrainian soldiers return home after negotiations with Russia in Istanbul in July.

Trump concluded with optimistic predictions that the war in Ukraine, which has been ongoing since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022, will end soon.