ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that his special envoy Steve Witkoff may travel to Russia this week, as Washington presses Moscow to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters before departing his golf resort in New Jersey, Trump said Witkoff's visit could take place “Wednesday or Thursday.”

“They would like to see him. They've asked that he meet,” Trump said. “So, we'll see what happens.”

The remarks come days before Trump’s self-imposed deadline for Moscow to halt its military operations in Ukraine. Trump has warned that if Russia does not agree to a ceasefire by Friday, the US will impose sanctions and secondary tariffs.

“There’ll be sanctions,” he told reporters. “But they seem to be pretty good at avoiding sanctions."

Responding to Trump voicing “disappointment” over a lack of progress on Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday urged him to avoid "excessive expectations" and to resume talks on the issue.

"Concerning any disappointments coming from anyone, all disappointments arise from excessive expectations. This is a well-known general rule,” Putin told a press briefing in the city of Valaam.

In June, Trump had given Russia a 50-day window to end the war in Ukraine, which continues since February 2022. But he revised the timeline in late July, cutting it to “about 10 or 12 days.” That shortened deadline is set to expire Friday.