US President Donald Trump has confirmed that his special envoy Steve Whitcoff will visit Russia next week, AFP reported.

Trump also said that the two nuclear submarines he deployed after an online dispute with former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev are now "in the region." .

The Republican did not specify whether he meant nuclear-powered submarines or submarines carrying nuclear weapons. He also did not give details about their exact locations, which are kept secret by the US military.

The nuclear threat came against the backdrop of Trump's deadline at the end of next week for Russia to take steps to end the war in Ukraine or face new sanctions, which have not been specified.

The Republican leader said Whitcoff would visit "I think next week, on Wednesday or Thursday."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has already met with Whitcoff several times in Moscow. 

When reporters asked what message Whitcoff would send to Moscow and whether Russia could do anything to avoid sanctions, Trump replied: "Yes, make a deal to end the killings."

The Republican threatened that the new measures could mean "secondary tariffs" against Russia's other trading partners, such as China and India. This would further hamper Russia, but would risk causing significant international turmoil.

Despite pressure from Washington, Russia's offensive against Ukraine continues.

Putin, who has consistently rejected calls for a ceasefire, said he wants peace but that his demands for ending his nearly three-year invasion are "unchanged."

Those demands include Ukraine ceding territory and abandoning its ambitions to join NATO. 

The US president began his second term with optimistic predictions that the war in Ukraine, which has been raging since February 2022 when Russia invaded its neighbor, would soon end.

In recent weeks, Trump has increasingly expressed his dissatisfaction with Putin over Moscow's relentless offensive. | BGNES