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US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Thursday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as Washington steps up efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
The two US representatives met Russian presidential special envoy Kirill Dmitriev shortly after landing at Vnukovo Airport, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
Their visit follows two days of negotiations involving Russian, Ukrainian and US representatives in Abu Dhabi, the first trilateral discussions of their kind since February. The talks ended without a clear breakthrough, leaving major differences over the terms of a possible peace agreement unresolved.
Speaking after Wednesday’s discussions, Kushner said the Moscow meeting would focus on finalising arrangements for humanitarian assistance and prisoner releases. He also expressed hope that European countries could be brought into the negotiating process to make it more inclusive.
The Abu Dhabi negotiations resulted in an agreement on what US officials described as the largest prisoner exchange of the war, although neither side announced the number of prisoners involved. Ukrainian officials said the discussions also made progress on postwar security guarantees.
However, territorial disputes remain a major obstacle. Russia has demanded that Ukraine surrender the entire eastern Donbas region as part of a settlement, a condition Kyiv has firmly rejected. US mediators have sought to shift attention towards security guarantees for Ukraine, reconstruction and broader European security arrangements.
The question of European participation also remains contentious. Ukraine has repeatedly called for European countries to be included in the main negotiations, while Moscow has expressed reservations about expanding the format.
Following the Moscow meeting, Kushner and Witkoff are expected to travel to Dublin to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and brief him on their discussions with Putin.
Zelensky, who arrived in Ireland ahead of the planned meeting, said he saw an opportunity to make progress towards ending the war before the end of 2026. He said he hoped the US envoys would return from Moscow with concrete proposals.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the Abu Dhabi discussions demonstrated unity among the United States, Ukraine and Europe, adding that Russia must now show its willingness to cooperate.