Overview

• Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow on August 6 to meet Kirill Dmitriev and other Russian leaders ahead of the August 8 deadline.
• Under Trump’s ten-day ultimatum for an end to the Ukraine offensive, two U.S. nuclear submarines have been deployed near Russian waters.
• The U.S. has opened an auction for the $300 million superyacht Amadea, seized in 2022 and accepting bids through September 10.
• Washington has threatened “secondary tariffs” on any countries that continue trading with Russia, including China and India.
• The Kremlin has denounced these measures as illegitimate, setting a confrontational backdrop for the talks.