U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, is scheduled to travel to the region in the coming days, according to two sources who spoke with the Kyiv Post. The visit comes as Trump’s self-imposed deadline for a peace agreement with Russia rapidly approaches.Kellogg’s trip coincides with another planned visit to Russia by Steve Witkoff, also a Trump envoy. The president confirmed Witkoff’s upcoming travel on Thursday, telling reporters, “Yeah, going to Israel and then he’s going to Russia, believe it or not.”According to sources familiar with the situation, Witkoff’s trip was proposed by the Russians earlier this week and, despite Trump’s initial skepticism, received presidential approval. Trump reportedly told his advisors he believed the mission would be “useless.”These diplomatic moves unfold as Trump’s deadline for a ceasefire with Russia, now set for August 8, looms closer. Originally, the president set a 50-day ultimatum on July 14 but shortened it earlier this week amid mounting frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin.Deadline approaches as sanctions loomTrump told reporters Thursday that he expects to impose sanctions once the deadline expires, though he expressed doubt about their effectiveness in changing Putin’s behavior. “We’re going to put sanctions. I don’t know that sanctions bother him,” he said.The anticipated penalties are expected to include secondary sanctions targeting countries that continue to buy Russian exports—particularly oil—thus helping to sustain Russia’s economy. This approach could hit major trading partners like China and India hard. Trump has already taken a tough stance on India, imposing a 25 percent tariff and threatening further penalties over its purchases of Russian energy and weapons. He has also criticized both India and Russia, labeling their economies as “dead.”Kellogg’s recent visit and the quiet in KyivKellogg last visited Kyiv two weeks ago, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials to discuss bolstering Ukraine’s air defenses, supplying new weapons, and implementing additional sanctions against Russia. Notably, during Kellogg’s week-long stay, Russia largely refrained from bombing Kyiv.Zelenskyy, speaking with American media last week, suggested that the lull in attacks signaled Putin’s fear of the United States. “We joked that we should give Kellogg a Ukrainian passport to keep him here permanently and deter further Russian aggression,” the Ukrainian president added.