U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Wednesday (August 6) on a last-minute mission to seek a breakthrough in the Ukraine war, two days before the expiry of a deadline set by President Donald Trump for Russia to agree to peace or face new sanctions.

Witkoff was greeted by Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's investment envoy and head of its sovereign wealth fund. State media showed the two men strolling together through a park near the Kremlin, deep in conversation.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

MOSCOW, RUSSIA (AUGUST 6, 2025) (VIDEO OBTAINED BY REUTERS - Access all)

1. U.S. ENVOY STEVE WITKOFF WALKING WITH PRESIDENT PUTIN'S ENVOY KIRILL DMITRIEV IN PARK NEAR THE KREMLIN AHEAD OF EXPECTED MEETING WITH RUSSIAN LEADER

5248-UKRAINE-CRISIS/PUTIN-WITKOFF

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow, the Kremlin said on Wednesday (August 6).

Trump has set a deadline of Friday (August 8) for Russia to agree to end the Ukraine war or face new sanctions.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA (AUGUST 6, 2025) (RUSSIAN POOL - Access all)

2. VARIOUS OF RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN AND U.S. ENVOY STEVE WITKOFF MEETING IN THE KREMLIN, SHAKING HANDS BEFORE START OF TALKS

5292-UKRAINE-CRISIS/PUTIN-WITKOFF-DEPARTURE

A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff has ended after about three hours, Russian state news agency RIA said on Wednesday (August 6).

A motorcade thought to be carrying Witkoff was spotted leaving Kremlin around the same time when meeting was reported to have ended.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA (AUGUST 6, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

3. VARIOUS OF MOTORCADE THOUGHT TO BE CARRYING U.S. ENVOY STEVE WITKOFF LEAVING KREMLIN, DRIVING AWAY

5308-RUSSIA-USA/WITKOFF-USHAKOV

Talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff were "useful and constructive," Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said on Wednesday (August 6).

MOSCOW, RUSSIA (AUGUST 6, 2025) (RU24 - No use Russia)

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN KREMLIN FOREIGN POLICY ADVISOR, YURI USHAKOV, SAYING:

“It was quite a useful and constructive discussion. When it comes to its topics, first of all, it was the Ukraine crisis. And the second topic were prospects of possible development of strategic cooperation between the U.S. and Russia. On our part, in particular on the Ukrainian issue, some signals were transmitted. Corresponding signals were also received from President Trump."

5148-USA-RUSSIA/OIL

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (August 5) he will make a decision on whether to sanction countries who purchase Russian oil after a meeting with Russian officials scheduled for Wednesday.

WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (AUGUST 5, 2025) (U.S. NETWORK POOL - No use USA)

5. U.S PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP AT LECTERN

6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

JOURNALIST OFF-CAMERA: "Do you still plan to follow through on your threat to impose 100% tariffs on all countries that purchase Russian energy, including China?"

TRUMP: "Well, I never set a percentage, but we'll be doing quite a bit of that. We'll see what happens over the next fairly short period of time. But we'll, we'll see what happens. I know they have a meeting tomorrow. We have a meeting with Russia tomorrow. We're going to see what happens. We'll make that determination at that time."

7. NEWS CONFERENCE UNDERWAY

5233-UKRAINE-CRISIS/RUSSIA-DEADLINE-ANALYST

To avoid new sanctions, Putin may try to buy time and ‘throw a bone’ to Trump, analyst says

LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (AUGUST 6, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

8. (SOUNDBITE)(English) ASSOCIATE FELLOW AT RUSSIA AND EURASIA PROGRAMME AT CHATHAM HOUSE, TIMOTHY ASH, SAYING:

"Putin really I think has decided he wants the long war, right. And time plays on the inside. And I think this suggestion of this corridor, whatever you want to call it, he's buying time. He wants to avoid anything that would see more sanctions levied on him. You know, I mean, they're a little bit nervous about the tariffs, the India tariffs, right? The 100% situation. But they don't really think Trump will actually do it. But they think by throwing a little bone to Trump, Witkoff there (in Moscow for talks with Putin), letting Witkoff come back with something. It'll buy them a bit more time to continue to wage war because they think the longer they leave it, the longer they continue the fight. Ultimately, Ukraine will buckle, Western alliance will weaken, appetite to continue support, Ukraine will kind of moderate and ihn the end Putin will get everything he wants, which is the whole of Ukraine. That is the reality."

Russian strikes killed two people and wounded 10 others, including four children, in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, Governor Ivan Fedorov said on Wednesday (August 6).

Russian forces carried out 567 attacks over the 24 hours into Wednesday morning across 16 settlements in the region, Fedorov said. Zaporizhzhia has been on the front lines of the war that Russia launched against its smaller neighbour in February 2022.

At least nine buildings were damaged in the early morning strikes on the Zaporizhzhia city district alone, Fedorov said on the Telegram messaging app. Zaporizhzhia city is the administrative center of the broader region.

KANIVSKE, ZAPORIZHZHIA REGION, UKRAINE (AUGUST 6, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all)

9. BODY IN BODY BAG

10. VARIOUS OF DAMAGED AND DESTROYED CARS

11. DAMAGED BUILDING

12. DAMAGED INTERIOR

13. BLOOD STAINS / GLASS SHARD ON FLOOR