Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump says ceasefire could be agreed ‘in weeks’ despite 48-hour deadline

US president Donald Trump said Steve Witkoff’s meeting with Vladimir Putin was “highly productive”.

US envoy Steve Witkoff’s meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow went well, a White House official said, but added that Washington still planned to proceed with secondary sanctions on Friday.

“The Russians are eager to continue engaging with the United States. The secondary sanctions are still expected to be implemented on Friday,” the official said.

Mr Witkoff met Mr Putin for around three hours on a last-minute mission to seek a breakthrough.

The Russian rouble and markets held their breath on Wednesday as they awaited the outcome of President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with US special envoy Steve Witkoff.

The rouble was flat at around 80 to the dollar, according to data compiled by LSEG based on over-the-counter quotes.

It weakened by 0.2% against China’s yuan at the Moscow Stock Exchange. Russia’s main stock market index was down 0.15%.

Many analysts believe that the rouble is overvalued and awaiting a trigger to weaken.

The Russian currency rallied by up to 45% against the dollar earlier this year, partly thanks to expectations of a thaw in the relationship between Russia and the US as well as hopes for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine.

Kremlin earlier said that Russia had developed an immunity to sanctions thanks to long experience. However, the latest round of US sanctions against a Russian bank, which handled payments for energy, imposed last year, led to the rouble’s slide.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he is hopeful of making announcements later on Wednesday on whether potential sanctions against Russia would still proceed this week.

Rubio said he has spoken to US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who is on his way back from a trip to Russia, and would have more discussions throughout the day.

“We’ll have more to say about that later on today,” Rubio said when asked if sanctions on Russia would go into effect later this week, adding that there would hopefully be some announcements soon.

“Maybe positive, maybe not.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has visited troops near the front line in northeastern Ukraine’s Sumy region.

“I thanked the soldiers for their service and the results that the Kursk operation brought thanks to them, and awarded them with state awards,” he said on Telegram.

“We will always be grateful for your service to Ukraine. And we will always honor the memory of all who gave their lives for our country.”

US President Donald Trump is expected to speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today after US special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Vladimir Putin, Axios reported, citing sources familiar with the situation.

Our World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley writes:

If Russia doesn’t join ceasefire discussions by Friday, Trump has threatened more sanctions against Moscow.

And after Dmitri Medvedev, deputy director of Russia’s security council and the Kremlin’s in-house troll, threatened unspecified “further steps” following Russia’s withdrawal from the defunct Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the US president announced he was moving two nuclear strike submarines to threaten Moscow.

Both this and Friday’s deadline are empty and performative.

Read the full Voices article below:

Public trust in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fell to its lowest level in around six months following rare wartime protests against a move to curb the power of anti-corruption watchdogs, a leading Kyiv pollster said.

The survey, by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, is the first by a major Ukrainian pollster to measure public sentiment since Mr Zelensky sparked anger with a move to subordinate the agencies to a hand-picked prosecutor-general.

Thousands of Ukrainians had rallied in Kyiv and other cities late last month against the fast-tracked measures, prompting Mr Zelensky and his ruling party to quickly reverse course.

The KIIS poll, which began a day after the controversial vote on July 22, found that 58% of Ukrainians currently trust Mr Zelensky, down from an 18-month high of 74% in May and 67% in February-March.

KIIS found that those who distrust Mr Zelensky cited corruption and his handling of the war as the top two reasons, at 21% and 20%, respectively.

Trust had already been decreasing before the protests, it added, but the demonstrations “undoubtedly had an impact” on the continuing slide.

Mr Zelensky lowest wartime trust rating was 52% in December 2024, according to KIIS. The latest survey involved more than 1,000 respondents across government-controlled Ukraine.