US Presidential Special Envoy Arrives In Moscow For Meeting With Russian Officials

JAKARTA - US President Steven Witkoff's Special Envoy arrived at Vnukovo Airport near Moscow ahead of a meeting with Russian officials, a source familiar with this said.

"The Russian President Kirill Dmitriev's Special Entrance met Steven Witkoff at Vnukovo airport," the source told TASS as quoted August 6.

Witkoff is known to have flown to Russia several times for talks. He came to St. Petersburg on April 11 before coming to Moscow on April 25.

In the two meetings, Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. His arrival on Wednesday will be his fifth visit to the country since the beginning of the year.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said he could impose sanctions on Russia on August 9 if Ukraine's crisis resolution could not be reached by then.

However, he noted Russia had done a good job of dealing with sanctions. When asked if Russia could avoid sanctions from the current US Government, President Trump said it needed an agreement because then, people would stop dying.

Earlier, President Trump on July 14 said Uncle Sam's country would impose an entry fee of about 100 percent on Russia and its trading partners if Moscow and Washington did not reach an agreement on settlements in Ukraine within 50 days.

On July 29, President Trump said he had decided to cut the deadline for Russia to 10 days.

And on August 5, he noted that the US would later decide whether to wear import duties. According to him, the next US move will depend on the results of upcoming talks with the special envoy, Steven Witkoff, in Moscow.