- Wednesday or Thursday, says Trump about when Witkoff is expected to visit Russia.
On the question of what the envoy's message to Moscow will be, and if there is anything Russia can do to avoid American sanctions that Trump has threatened with, the president says:
Yes, get an agreement where people stop getting killed.
Nuclear Submarines in Place
Trump further says that the two nuclear submarines he said would be placed closer to Russia are now in place "in the region". The president has not disclosed where they are located, or if it is about the US's nuclear-armed submarines.
Witkoff's latest known visit to Russia took place in April when he met with the country's president Vladimir Putin, but those talks did not bring about a breakthrough to put an end to the Russian war of aggression.
Putin, who has consistently rejected demands for a ceasefire, has instead intensified the war with even more extensive air strikes against Ukrainian cities every other night.
Threatened with "Dead Hand"
A week ago, Trump said he is disappointed with Putin and that he is reducing the deadline for Russia to agree on a peace agreement with Ukraine from 50 to 10-12 days, i.e. this week, otherwise further American sanctions await.
In response, Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and now deputy head of Russia's Security Council, wrote that every ultimatum is "a threat and a step towards war" between Russia and the US.
Medvedev has also urged Trump on social media to remember how dangerous the "dead hand" can be, which has been interpreted as a reference to the codename for the former Soviet Union's nuclear retaliation system.
Trump has called the statements "very provocative" and responded on Friday by moving two nuclear submarines to "suitable regions". The positioning of the submarines is usually secret.
