US envoys meet Putin, head to Kyiv for Ukraine peace talks
Trump negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held three-hour talks with Putin in Moscow on Saturday before traveling to Kyiv to meet Zelensky.
What happened
US President Donald Trump's top negotiators Witkoff and Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday for three hours of talks on ending the war in Ukraine. According to the White House, they discussed substantive plans for next steps, though specifics remain unclear and an announcement is expected in coming weeks. The envoys are set to land in Kyiv on Sunday for meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, marking their first trip to Ukraine's capital as Trump's negotiators. Putin adviser Yuri Ushakov characterized the talks as constructive and frank, noting that discussions covered not only the Ukrainian crisis but also economic issues and potential Russian-American projects, with acknowledgement made of Russian military advances and the need to address root causes of the conflict.
Context
The talks come amid an intensification of aerial warfare, with Russia escalating missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities while Ukraine focuses strikes on Russian economic infrastructure. Ukraine has stated it lacks sufficient interceptor missiles to repel ballistic attacks. Russia currently controls roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory seized in 2022, and Russian ground forces have made very slow advances with enormous casualties throughout the conflict. Zelensky has indicated readiness for substantive conversation, and Putin and Zelensky have agreed to halt strikes on each other's capitals for three days. The pace of diplomatic engagement suggests efforts to end the war are gathering momentum, though the specific terms and proposals remain confidential.