Steve Witkoff met with Vladimir Putin for three hours on Wednesday but got no progress to satisfy Donald Trump.
The Kremlin called the meeting “constructive,” but no agreement was made. Putin refused to move toward peace in Ukraine. Since Witkoff’s last visit in April, Russia increased missile attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Russian media said Putin and Trump exchanged “signals,” but gave no details. More info will come after Witkoff reports to Trump.
Trump has grown impatient. In early July, he warned Russia of new sanctions if no peace progress was made. Now, with no results, Trump is angry.
After the failed talks, Trump targeted India. The U.S. added a 25% tariff on Indian imports, citing India’s continued purchase of Russian oil. This raises India’s total tariff rate to 50%.
Trump had warned India before about penalties for buying Russian oil and weapons. India said it would keep buying Russian oil despite the threats.
With no deal from Russia, Trump is using trade pressure on India to push back. But Putin shows no sign of yielding.
