Trump’s envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff meet Putin and speak for more than three hours in top secret talks… as Russian president gives two-word summation of Ukraine war
Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff held over three hours of closed-door talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday, as Washington renewed its push to end the war in Ukraine. Putin described the conflict as a "complicated situation" but praised Trump for continuing his efforts to reach a settlement, while both sides agreed to a temporary halt on strikes against each other's capitals during the negotiations. The talks matter because the US peace push had lost momentum in recent months, with American attention diverted towards the Iran conflict, and the envoys are said to be carrying a fresh proposal to end the war.
Kushner and Witkoff, whom Trump called "two great negotiators", were escorted to the Kremlin by Russian investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev and are due to visit Kyiv for the first time on Sunday as part of the process. Putin ordered a three-day pause on strikes against Kyiv from midnight, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would refrain from hitting Moscow until Monday. Despite the pause, Zelenskyy said Russia carried out "deliberate" strikes on airports in Kyiv and Boryspil overnight, killing four people and injuring five others, which he linked to preparations for a possible US flight into Ukraine. Russia's deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, meanwhile warned that the outcome depended on how far the US was prepared to go in seeking a "real solution".
- Kushner and Witkoff held over three-hour Kremlin talks with Putin on Ukraine peace deal
- Putin and Zelenskyy agreed a temporary halt on capital strikes during negotiations
- Russian strikes on Ukrainian airports killed four despite pause; envoys to visit Kyiv Sunday
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Talks between Vladimir Putin and two of Donald Trump's closest envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, are the latest step in a renewed American effort to end the war in Ukraine, a conflict that has dragged on for years since Russia's invasion. Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, and Witkoff, a veteran negotiator, have become the president's preferred channel for direct dealings with Moscow, working alongside figures such as Russian investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
The diplomatic push had stalled in recent months as US attention shifted elsewhere, notably to the conflict involving Iran, leaving the war in Ukraine largely unresolved on the battlefield. Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has continued to lead his country's side of any negotiations, while Russia has signalled that progress depends on how far Washington is willing to go to secure a lasting settlement.
The talks matter because any US-brokered deal could reshape the course of a war that has caused huge loss of life, displaced millions and strained relations between Russia and the West. Both sides have taken some steps, such as pausing strikes on each other's capitals, to create space for negotiation, though deep disagreements over the terms of any settlement remain unresolved.