US Envoys Witkoff, Kushner Meet Putin on Ukraine War

US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to travel to Kyiv following more than three hours of discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow aimed at advancing efforts to end the Ukraine conflict. The talks were pronounced by Russian officials as beneficial and straight, though they formed no major step forward.

The White House said the two sides discussed substantive plans for the next steps toward ending the conflict, with further details expected in the coming weeks. Witkoff and Kushner are scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday, marking their first visit to the Ukrainian capital as part of the current peace effort.

Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said the talks covered possible ways to resolve the conflict, as well as economic issues and potential Russian-American projects. He also said Moscow stressed the need to address what it considers the root causes of the war.

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to pause strikes on each other’s capitals for three days during the diplomatic visits. The brief break is planned to generate safer settings for the talks in Moscow and Kyiv.

The most recent diplomatic drive comes as fighting carry on, with Russia carrying out missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities while Ukraine has intensified strikes against Russian oil facilities and other economic infrastructure. Despite the renewed negotiations, major differences between Moscow and Kyiv remain unresolved.