Putin-Witkoff talks constructive: Moscow

MOSCOW, Aug 06 (AFP): Russian President Vladimir Putin held "constructive" talks with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow over the Ukraine conflict, the Kremlin said Wednesday after the three-hour meeting.

"A quite useful and constructive conversation took place," Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov told journalists, including AFP, adding that as well as Ukraine, Russia-US strategic cooperation was discussed. Trump, who had boasted he could end the conflict within 24 hours of taking office, has given Russia until Friday to make progress towards peace or face new penalties.

But three rounds of Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul have failed to make headway on a ceasefire, with the two sides far apart.

Russia has escalated drone and missile attacks against its pro-Western neighbour to a record high and accelerated its advance on the ground.

The Kremlin published video of Putin shaking hands with Witkoff in the Kremlin before the talks. But it provided no further details.

Ahead of the meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Washington to up its pressure on Moscow to agree to a ceasefire.

The White House has not outlined specific actions it would take against Russia, but Trump has previously threatened to impose "secondary tariffs" targeting Russia's key trade partners, such as China and India.

The move would aim to stifle Russian exports, but would risk significant international disruption. Trump said Tuesday that he would await the outcome of the Moscow talks before moving ordering any economic retaliation.

"We're going to see what happens," he told reporters. "We'll make that determination at that time." Without explicitly naming Trump, the Kremlin on Tuesday slammed "threats" to hike tariffs on Russia's trading parters as "illegitimate".

Russia's more than three-year campaign on Ukraine has killed tens of thousands of people, destroyed swathes of the country and forced millions to flee their homes.

Moscow has demanded that Ukraine cede more territory and renounce Western support if it wants the fighting to stop. Kyiv is calling for an immediate ceasefire, and Zelensky last week urged his allies to push for "regime change" in Moscow.

"It is very important to strengthen all the levers in the arsenal of the United States, Europe, and the G7 so that a ceasefire truly comes into effect immediately. Ukraine sees the political will, appreciates the efforts of our partners, of America, and of everyone who is helping," Zelensky wrote on social media on Wednesday after Witkoff landed in the Russian capital.