Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin received US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, at the Kremlin on Wednesday, just two days before a deadline for Moscow to reach a ceasefire in Ukraine or face new sanctions. The meeting was formally announced by the Kremlin but no immediate details on the talks were provided. A video was later posted showing Putin and Witkoff shaking hands.

According to Anadolu Agency, this visit marks Witkoff's fifth trip to Russia since the start of the year. His latest two visits were in April when he also met with Putin. This current visit is particularly significant as it takes place just two days before the expiration of a 10-day deadline set by Trump for Russia to finalize a ceasefire deal with Ukraine, which is due this Friday.

In June, Trump gave Russia a 50-day window to reach an agreement with Ukraine, warning that failure to do so would result in import duties of up to 100% on Russia and its trading partners. On July 29, Trump announced that he had shortened the deadline to 10 days, expressing his "disappointment" with Putin's progress on the matter.