On August 6 local time, Russian President Putin personally met with Trump's close aide, the U.S. special envoy Witkov, at the Kremlin.

Putin meets U.S. special envoy Witkov

This news immediately attracted global attention, as it came at a critical moment when Trump had issued a "final ultimatum" to Russia. Witkov, who was on a significant mission, came with Trump's "instructions," urging Russia to make concessions regarding the Ukraine conflict.

Over the past few months, Trump has called Putin multiple times, and both sides of the Ukraine conflict have held three rounds of negotiations, but there has been no substantial progress on a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.

Trump had previously issued a final ultimatum, demanding that Russia reach a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine by August 8, or face further sanctions.

However, Trump himself also had to admit that imposing further sanctions on Russia alone would not necessarily yield the desired results.

Therefore, the United States has also introduced so-called "complementary measures," which involve "secondary sanctions" against countries such as China and India that import Russian oil, potentially imposing tariffs of up to three digits.

Nevertheless, Trump's ultimate goal is to quickly resolve the Ukraine issue, i.e., achieve a ceasefire. The threat of sanctions against Russia is merely a means to pressure Putin into compliance.

Trump

With only two days left until the deadline for his ultimatum, sending Witkov to Moscow at this crucial moment was essentially a way for Trump to find an excuse, giving himself some room to maneuver and offering Putin a way down.

Now, Putin personally meeting Witkov has sent a positive signal, indicating that Russia is willing to resolve the issue through dialogue, and has not closed the door to negotiations. Putin is also willing to accept the "step" offered by Trump.

In a video that has been released, it can be seen that during the meeting between Putin and the U.S. envoy, both were smiling and shook hands, with a relatively amicable atmosphere.

However, beneath the surface, there are still significant differences in positions between the two sides. According to sources close to the Kremlin, Putin is unlikely to accept Trump's final ultimatum.

Putin's military objectives in Ukraine are clear: to fully control the four eastern regions of Ukraine. After three and a half years of the Ukraine conflict, the Russian army has been steadily advancing and has achieved certain results. At this point, abandoning military objectives would be unrealistic.

U.S. special envoy Witkov

Despite this, Putin does not want to anger Trump. According to reports from Bloomberg citing sources, the Kremlin is weighing making some concessions to Trump, such as achieving a partial air ceasefire with Ukraine while continuing military operations.

This way, it could respond to some extent to the U.S. demands and avoid "secondary sanctions," without affecting the overall military goals of Russia.

Moreover, according to informed sources, if Ukraine agrees to suspend the use of drones and missiles for aerial attacks as a gesture to ease tensions, this air ceasefire agreement might become a reality.

Although there are many conflicting reports, one thing is certain: Putin's goal of completely controlling the four eastern regions of Ukraine remains firm.

As of the latest information, this meeting between Putin and Witkov lasted nearly three hours. Russian presidential assistant Ushakov revealed that the discussion was quite in-depth, summarized in seven characters as "beneficial and constructive." The topics discussed revolved around the Ukraine issue and the development prospects of the strategic partnership between Russia and the United States.

However, Witkov has not yet reported the specific details of the conversation to Trump, and the U.S. side has not yet shown any reaction to this meeting.

Over the next couple of days, the situation is likely to enter a critical phase. Will Trump really swing the "stick of sanctions"? How will Putin respond? Let's wait and see.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7535503583102419502/

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