Play store
US President Donald Trump’s two top envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, held a closed-door meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as part of Washington’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
The meeting took place just over a week after CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a rare visit to Moscow. Neither side, however, provided details about what was discussed during the latest talks.
The US delegation is scheduled to travel to Kyiv on Sunday for talks with Ukrainian officials following the meeting in Moscow.
A video released by the Kremlin on Saturday showed Putin welcoming the US envoys. During the meeting, Putin was heard saying that the current situation was “not very easy.”
Witkoff thanked Putin for agreeing with Ukraine to halt attacks on each other’s capitals for three days.
Following their meeting with Putin, Witkoff and Kushner are expected to travel to Kyiv. It will be their first visit to the Ukrainian capital for talks aimed at ending the war.
Despite months of efforts by the United States and its allies to end the conflict, no peace agreement has yet been reached.
Trump said on Friday that Witkoff and Kushner were “bringing a proposal to end the war.”
During Saturday’s Kremlin talks, Putin said that such contacts were “always useful,” regardless of the outcome. He also thanked Trump for his efforts to establish peace and said he felt “comfortable” working with the US representatives.
“We certainly have a fairly high level of trust from our side,” Putin said.
According to Russian state media, the closed-door meeting at Putin’s official residence in Moscow lasted nearly three hours.
It remains unclear what exactly was discussed or whether the two sides reached any agreement.
Yuri Ushakov, an adviser to Putin, described the talks as “constructive and very frank.”
“The discussions were not limited to an exchange of views on resolving the Ukraine crisis, but also covered economic issues and potential major, mutually beneficial Russian-US projects,” Ushakov said.
He added that the Russian side had taken into account the “visible progress” of Russian forces on the battlefield and said further talks were necessary to address the “root causes” of the conflict.
Russian forces have advanced at a very slow pace for much of the war despite intensifying missile and drone attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. The Russian military has also suffered heavy casualties, according to reports.
Russia currently controls around one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory, according to estimates since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Before Saturday’s meeting with Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had already spoken with Trump’s envoys.
The US representatives are scheduled to hold talks in Kyiv on Sunday after their meeting in Moscow.
“We are waiting for Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and are ready for a productive conversation,” Zelenskyy said.
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to suspend attacks on each other’s capitals from Saturday through Monday during the talks.
Putin has reportedly ordered a three-day halt to Russian attacks on Kyiv. However, in a televised address, he said the temporary suspension would not apply to other parts of Ukraine outside Kyiv.
Putin also said necessary measures had been taken to advance peace negotiations and ensure the safety of the US mediators during their visit.
Kushner and Witkoff have visited Russia several times before. Sunday’s planned trip to Ukraine, however, would be their first visit there for negotiations.
Ukraine’s airspace has remained closed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. It remains unclear how the US delegation will travel from Moscow to Kyiv.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said Russia had launched overnight attacks on Kyiv and Boryspil airport ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Putin.
He said security would nevertheless be ensured in Ukrainian airspace during the US delegation’s visit.
Ratcliffe’s recent visit to Moscow also came shortly before the latest talks between Putin and Trump’s envoys. Washington and the Kremlin have not issued any official statement on what was discussed during the CIA director’s visit.
Last year, following US-mediated negotiations, the United States, Ukraine and Russia separately indicated that a peace agreement to end the war was nearing completion. Ukraine’s European allies also held talks in Paris on the issue, but the discussions ended without significant progress.
In recent months, both Russia and Ukraine have intensified their air campaigns against each other.
Russia has significantly increased its use of ballistic missiles, putting Ukraine’s air-defence systems under severe pressure. Ukraine, meanwhile, has continued targeting Russia’s economic infrastructure.
