Witkoff Meets With Putin as Trump Deadline Approaches, While Russia Withdraws From Missile Pledge It Never Upheld

Latest Developments

Meeting With Putin Ahead of Deadline: U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for three hours. Yuri Ushakov, a top Putin aide, said they had discussed Ukraine as well as “the prospects of possible developments of strategic cooperation between the United States and Russia.” The meeting took place two days ahead of the August 8 deadline President Donald Trump set for Russia to agree to a ceasefire or face “secondary tariffs” on its oil exports. Trump later described the meeting between Putin and Witkoff as “highly productive,” adding, “Great progress was made! Afterwards, I updated some of our European Allies. Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come.”
Russia Withdraws From Self-Imposed INF Treaty: The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on August 4 that Russia will no longer abide by what it characterized as a self-imposed “moratorium” on the deployment of missiles covered by the now-defunct Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. That treaty, banned U.S. and Soviet/Russian ground-launched missiles that can fly distances between 310 and 3,400 miles. After years of Russian noncompliance, President Trump withdrew from the agreement in 2019, while Russia falsely claimed to be abiding by it. The Kremlin then suggested a moratorium on the deployment of such missiles,even as it deployed them in western Russia.
Russia Accuses U.S. and Allies of Deploying Missiles: The Russian Foreign Ministry claimed it ended the moratorium in response to moves by Western countries, including U.S. plans to deploy INF-range missiles in Germany. Yet just within the last week, Putin said Russia has begun fielding its new Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile and will soon deploy it in Belarus.

FDD Expert Response

“It’s long past time to throw everything, including the kitchen sink, at Russia — sanctions and the provision of defensive and offensive weapons to Ukraine in a campaign of maximum pressure. Witkoff and Trump should not be seduced by any temporary or partial Russian efforts because Putin is just buying time.” — RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Senior Fellow and Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology

“The Kremlin is entertaining ‘peace’ talks with Witkoff on the one hand while rattling sabers on the other. Russia’s announced withdrawal from the missile moratorium should surprise no one. Moscow’s history of broken treaties proves it cannot be trusted to honor paper promises. The United States must judge Putin by his actions, not his words.” — Peter Doran, Adjunct Senior Fellow

“Putin, as a former KGB operative, thinks in zero-sum terms, while Witkoff values the benefits of trade and cooperation. No one should be fooled by the Kremlin’s expressed willingness to talk, as Moscow views negotiations as a means of achieving its longstanding objective of subjugating Ukraine, not as a path to genuine compromise. Trump is now following through on his threats, while Moscow is testing the United States’ resolve. Putin only understands the language of power, and Trump’s recent decision to reposition nuclear submarines, send more weapons to Ukraine, and impose more sanctions speaks louder than words.” — Ivana Stradner, Research Fellow

“No one should be fooled by this cynical ploy. Moscow itself never abided by its moratorium. Russian violations killed the INF Treaty, and Russia is now working to field additional INF-class missiles. NATO should focus on improving its own long-range strike capabilities, including by following through on the 2024 U.S.-Germany joint statement on U.S. missile deployments in Germany.” — John Hardie, Russia Program Deputy Director