By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump has confirmed that his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will visit Moscow “next week,” just days before his 10-day ultimatum for Russia to reach a peace agreement with Ukraine expires.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump said the trip would “likely” take place on Wednesday or Thursday, after a previously announced visit over the weekend did not occur.

He did not elaborate on Witkoff’s full schedule but indicated that the envoy’s mission was focused on bringing about a ceasefire.

“Yeah, get a deal where people stop getting killed,” Trump said, when asked what message Witkoff would deliver to Russian officials and whether Moscow could do anything at this point to avoid new sanctions.

“Well, there’ll be sanctions, but they seem to be pretty good at avoiding sanctions. You know, they are wily characters, and they’re pretty good at avoiding sanctions,” he added.

The US president claimed that Moscow “asked” for Witkoff’s visit, but the Kremlin has yet to comment on the reports.

Trump’s remarks come amid his growing frustration with Russia over the ongoing Ukraine conflict he had pledged to resolve within 24 hours upon returning to office.

The White House hasn’t confirmed whether Witkoff will meet President Putin, despite their previous meetings in Moscow yielding little diplomatic progress.

Russia remains open to talks but insists any peace deal must reflect “new territorial realities.”

On Friday, Putin reaffirmed Moscow’s conditions, including Ukrainian neutrality and abandoning NATO ambitions.

Moscow sees the Ukraine war as a Western-led proxy conflict and accuses Washington of dictating peace terms while arming Kiev. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed Trump’s new sanctions threat, saying Russia has built “immunity” after years of pressure.