MOSCOW, August 7. /TASS/. US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff visits Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Washington imposes an extra import duty on India for its Russian oil purchases. Meanwhile, Russian crude exports climb globally over the past week. These stories topped newspaper headlines across Russia on Thursday.
Moscow and Washington should preserve dialogue, and there is no wiser alternative to it, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs Grigory Karasin told Izvestia. On Wednesday, Moscow hosted talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, described as "positive developments" by the senior Russian senator. According to the Kremlin, Putin and Witkoff primarily discussed bilateral relations and resolving the Ukraine crisis. Meanwhile, Kiev has yet to respond to Moscow’s proposal to establish working online groups to address humanitarian, political, and military issues, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said. Russia and Ukraine are not even close to settling the conflict, and the media reported that US leader Donald Trump is expected to hold a personal meeting with Putin as early as next week to be followed by a trilateral summit with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky.
