Journalist Vitaly Portnikov expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.“The window of opportunity for a ceasefire is not yet closed. Putin has sent Dmitriev to the U.S., who will try to convince the Trump administration that it is better to listen to words, and they will explain to him that words do not give birth to children,” Portnikov said. “Everything depends on who convinces whom. Once it becomes clear that Dmitriev's mission cannot be accomplished, the next stage of Putin's deliberations will depend on the actual losses to the Russian economy as a result of further U.S. sanctions. It will also depend on what Trump and Xi Jinping discuss.”The journalist also suggested that China may pressure Russia if it sees economic benefits in improving trade relations with the United States. According to Portnikov, both Xi Jinping’s stance and U.S. economic leverage could become decisive in pushing Putin toward de-escalation.“For Putin, in addition to the losses in the Russian economy as a result of U.S. sanctions, there is another danger. Trump and Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet in Malaysia, and their meeting has not been canceled. There, Trump may declare that for their trade agreement, China must reduce its relations with Moscow. China may now be interested in a pause in the Russian-Ukrainian war for its own economic benefit. If Putin realizes that he is suffering heavy economic losses and that words no longer have any effect on Trump, he may consider suspending military operations, at least to shield himself from new pressure,” he concluded.On Wednesday, October 22, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, citing Moscow’s continued unwillingness to end its war against Ukraine.Two days later, on October 24, high-ranking Russian official and financier Kirill Dmitriev arrived in the United States for “official talks,” following the announcement of the new sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector.Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump is set to hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea on October 30.