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.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to bow to a sanctions ultimatum expiring this Friday from U.S. President Donald Trump, and retains the goal of capturing four regions of Ukraine in their entirety,

Steve Witkoff is visiting Moscow this week - is it a sign that an agreement between Russia and the US to end the fighting in Ukraine could yet be reached?