Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Russia and the Middle East, has reportedly arrived in Moscow.
According to the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, the plane used by Witkoff landed at Vnukovo Airport amid reports of his planned visit.
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Footage of what appears to be the same aircraft has circulated on social media.
Earlier, flight-tracking service Flightradar24 showed a plane matching the type Witkoff typically uses crossing into Russian airspace.
Several media outlets have also reported that Witkoff was greeted in Moscow by Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). Moreover, Russian media later reported that Witkoff and Dmitriev took a walk together in Moscow’s Zaryadye Park. A photo of the two also appeared on social media.
Last week, Trump announced that Witkoff would soon travel to Russia to discuss the war in Ukraine. Initial reports suggested the visit would take place over the weekend, but Trump later clarified that it would occur on August 6 or 7.
In mid-July, Trump gave Russian leader Vladimir Putin a 50-day deadline to end the war in Ukraine or face severe consequences, including secondary tariffs and sanctions targeting buyers of Russian oil.
More recently, Trump significantly shortened that timeline, saying August 8 would be the final day for Moscow to make a decision.
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He also voiced frustration that while he was speaking to Putin about peace, Russian missiles were still striking Ukrainian cities, killing dozens of civilians and wounding many more.
An anonymous US official confirmed to AFP on Tuesday that Witkoff would meet with Russian officials in Moscow on Wednesday – just two days before Trump’s deadline for Russia.
However, the source said it remains unclear if Witkoff will meet Putin, though the two have met multiple times before.
The White House has not disclosed Witkoff’s agenda, but Trump’s threats have raised global market concerns.
Asked Monday what Russia could do to avoid sanctions, Trump told reporters: “We’ve got to get to a deal where people stop getting killed.”
He added: “They’re wily characters and they’re pretty good at avoiding sanctions. So we’ll see what happens.”
The Moscow visit follows a tense exchange between Trump and Kremlin insider and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Days earlier, Trump claimed on TruthSocial that two US nuclear submarines had been deployed “to the region.” He didn’t clarify if they were nuclear-armed or reveal their location.
Russia urged caution.
“Everyone should be very, very cautious with nuclear rhetoric,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned, calling escalation involving nuclear forces “dangerous and destabilizing.” Peskov neglected to acknowledge that it was Medvedev who initiated the “nuclear rhetoric” on social media.
Despite the pressure, Russia continues to escalate strikes on Ukrainian cities, and peace talks remain stalled. Negotiations in Istanbul have produced no results related to pursuing peace, with Moscow demanding Ukrainian territorial concessions and Kyiv insisting on a full ceasefire before talks could move forward.
Putin’s demands remain unchanged: full Ukrainian withdrawal from regions annexed by Russian unilateral fiat, including unoccupied, Ukrainian-controlled areas in three of the four regions Moscow claims, and abandonment of NATO ambitions.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected his terms as “nonstarters” and continues to push for the return of occupied territories and firm NATO guarantees. He has also urged allies to push for regime change in Moscow.
Peskov said Putin is open to eventually meeting with Zelensky, but only “after the necessary work is done at the expert level and the appropriate distance is overcome.”
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