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← Signal: State & Power

Putin meets Trump envoys Kushner and Witkoff in Moscow as US attempts to broker Ukraine peace talks

Confirmed1 source · Sep 5, 2026

Russian and Ukrainian forces agreed to a three-day ceasefire on their capitals' airspace as the Trump administration pursues negotiations to end the four-year war.

Putin meets Trump envoys Kushner and Witkoff in Moscow as US attempts to broker Ukraine peace talks
Image via The Guardian

What happened

Vladimir Putin met with US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff at the Kremlin on Saturday to discuss ending the Ukraine war, with the pair expected to visit Kyiv on Sunday. Russia and Ukraine agreed to halt strikes on each other's capitals for three days during the negotiations—the Kremlin committing from midnight Saturday not to strike Kyiv, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledging Kyiv would not strike Moscow through Monday. Trump had announced the envoys were bringing a proposal to end the war, though no details were provided. Prior to the talks, Russian strikes on Saturday killed at least seven people in and around Kyiv, including in suburbs and at civilian targets in the Dnipro region; Ukraine's air force reported Russia launched ballistic missiles and 167 drones overnight, with Ukrainian defenses disabling 128 of them.

Context

The war has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions since Russia's 2022 invasion. Putin has stated Moscow intends to seize the remainder of eastern Ukraine and earlier reiterated demands that Ukraine cede four regions and forgo NATO membership—positions Ukraine deems intolerable. The conflict has recently intensified with both sides conducting long-range strikes and a grinding stalemate along the 775-mile frontline. Trump made ending the war a priority early in his second term, but previous efforts have yielded little result. This represents the envoys' first visit to Kyiv and their second trip to Moscow in less than a year, signaling a renewed diplomatic push amid continued military operations.

What's disputed

Russia's defense ministry claimed it shot down 53 Ukrainian drones overnight, while Ukraine's air force reported 128 of 167 Russian drones were disabled—casualty and damage figures remain unverified by independent sources.