Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s special envoy, landed in Moscow early on Wednesday for talks over the Russian war in Ukraine, as Washington presses the Kremlin to agree to a deal to stop fighting before the US president’s Friday deadline or face new sanctions.

The Kremlin is weighing options for a concession to US President Donald Trump that could include an air truce with Ukraine to try to head off the threat of secondary sanctions, even as Russia remains determined to continue its war.

By Dmitry Antonov MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Moscow hoped for more peace talks with Ukraine but that the momentum of the war was in its favour, signalling no shift in his stance despite a looming sanctions deadline from Washington.