The US will impose secondary sanctions against Russia on August 8 - Reuters

According to Reuters, the parties have discussed the prospects for termination of war, which has been going on for over three years. Witcoff held an almost three -hour meeting with the Russian leader. The Kremlin Assistant Yuri Ushakov called the dialogue "constructive", but refrained from the disclosure of details to the return of the American emissary to Washington. The sources of the agency indicate that the signal for new sanctions was the lack of progress from Russia in the issue of peace.

US President Donald Trump has previously stated that it is ready to introduce additional economic restrictions if Moscow has not compromised Ukraine. According to sources, he has already discussed the situation with the phone with Vladimir Zelensky. At the same time, the Kremlin considers the possibility of a moratorium on the air strikes of both sides, which was hinted at by the Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.

Such an initiative, although not a complete cessation of fire, could be a symbolic step towards de -escalation. However, as Reuters writes, Putin is unlikely to accept the US ultimatic conditions. The Russian side insists on its own vision of settlement - in particular, on the neutrality of Ukraine, legal guarantees on the non -extension of NATO and recognition of territorial changes. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the announcement of sanctions may appear in the near future.

According to him, he has already talked with Vitcoff and awaits further consultations. Instead, analysts doubt the success of a diplomatic mission. According to Austrian expert Gerhard Mangott, Vitcoff's visit is an attempt to find a compromise that would allow both parties to "keep their face", but it is not visible at this time. Recall that the full -scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine has been going on since February 2022.