US Envoys Meet Putin in Moscow for Ukraine Peace Talks
President Trump's negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met Vladimir Putin in Moscow, carrying a proposal to end the war.
US President Donald Trump's top negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, have met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. According to the BBC, Trump stated the envoys were "bringing with them a proposal to end the war."
Russian state media broadcast video of the meeting. The envoys are scheduled to travel to Kyiv on Sunday for further discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, marking their first talks in Ukraine.
Ceasefire for Diplomacy
Both Russia and Ukraine have declared a temporary halt to strikes on each other's capital cities. The pause is set to last for three days to accommodate the US delegation's visit.
President Zelensky announced the arrangement on Saturday. He stated Ukraine was ready to refrain from strikes on Moscow from Saturday through Monday, expecting Russia to reciprocate regarding Kyiv. Russian state media reported that President Putin had ordered the halt on strikes against Kyiv due to the US visit.
Security Concerns and Recent Strikes
The diplomatic mission occurs amid ongoing violence. President Zelensky said Russia launched "demonstrative" strikes on airports in Kyiv and Boryspil overnight ahead of the planned meeting. He suggested these strikes were a reaction to discussions about the US side potentially using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine.
Ukraine's airspace has been closed since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Zelensky also reported an overnight Russian strike on a civilian building in the Dnipro region that killed four people and injured five others.
Context of the Negotiations
This visit follows a rare trip to Moscow by CIA head John Ratcliffe just over a week ago. There was no official comment from Washington or the Kremlin on what was discussed in either meeting. Trump previously described the CIA chief's visit as "semi-routine."
Past efforts to broker peace have stalled. Last year, the US, Ukraine, and Russia each suggested a deal was nearing after a series of American-brokered talks. European allies also held discussions in Paris, but those ended without a breakthrough. Key disagreements on territory and security guarantees for Ukraine remain unresolved.
Military Situation
In recent months, both sides have intensified aerial attacks. Ukraine has stated it struggles to repel ballistic missile attacks due to a shortage of interceptor missiles. Meanwhile, Kyiv has focused its strikes on Russian economic infrastructure targets. The US news outlet Axios reported that the envoys would separately meet both Putin and Zelensky.
It is not clear how the US team will travel from Moscow to Kyiv given the closed airspace and security challenges.
