Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s special envoy, landed in Moscow early on Wednesday for talks over the Russian war in Ukraine, as Washington presses the Kremlin to agree to a deal to stop fighting before the US president’s Friday deadline or face new sanctions.

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet with Russian leadership Wednesday, ahead of President Trump’s deadline for Russia to reach a deal in its war against Ukraine or face steeper sanctions.

By Dmitry Antonov MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Moscow hoped for more peace talks with Ukraine but that the momentum of the war was in its favour, signalling no shift in his stance despite a looming sanctions deadline from Washington.