War in Ukraine. Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, has arrived in Russia

Last-chance talks on Ukraine? Donald Trump 's envoy, Steve Witkoff, arrived in Russia on Wednesday, two days before the expiration of the ultimatum given by the American president to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to stop the war in Ukraine. His visit was due to take place "Wednesday or Thursday," the American president predicted on Sunday evening .

"We are always happy to see Mr. Witkoff in Moscow and always delighted to be in contact with him. We believe that these contacts are important, constructive and useful," Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during a briefing, adding that a meeting with Vladimir Putin was "not excluded."

Nuclear submarines "in the region"

Donald Trump also said that two nuclear submarines he ordered deployed following an online spat with former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev were now "in the region," without specifying which ones. He also did not specify whether they were nuclear-powered submarines or submarines equipped with nuclear warheads. For its part, the Kremlin is calling for "caution" in nuclear rhetoric.

"We believe that everyone should be very careful in their statements on nuclear power," said Dmitry Peskov, also stating that the two American submarines announced as being deployed by Donald Trump "are already in service" permanently. He added: "We do not want to get drawn into such a controversy."

This show of force comes as Donald Trump last week gave Russia 10 days, until next Friday, to end the war in Ukraine, or face new, unspecified sanctions.

The Russian president has already met with Steve Witkoff several times in Moscow, but Donald Trump's efforts to re-establish dialogue with the Kremlin have borne no fruit. The Republican billionaire, who began his second term boasting that he could stop the war in Ukraine within days, is now increasingly open about his frustration with Vladimir Putin. When asked by reporters what Steve Witkoff's message to Moscow would be and if there was anything Russia could do to avoid sanctions, Trump replied: "Yes, make a deal so people stop being killed."

The Russian offensive continues

Donald Trump has threatened to impose "secondary tariffs" on countries that continue to trade with Russia, such as China and India. Despite pressure from Washington, Russia's offensive against its pro-Western neighbor continues unabated.

A man was killed and two women injured Monday morning in Russian airstrikes in the Ukrainian region of Kherson, according to military authorities. In the central region of Dnipropetrovsk, four towns in the Nikopol district were targeted by drone strikes and artillery fire, injuring three people, according to regional military official Sergei Lysak. He said the injured were a four-month-old baby, in serious condition, and two women aged 40 and 46. For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry reported 61 interceptions of Ukrainian drones overnight from Sunday to Monday.