Putin Holds Three-Hour Talks With US Envoys; Kremlin Cites 'Useful' Exchange
Kremlin calls talks with US envoys useful but gives no details on a potential Ukraine settlement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow for over three hours on Saturday, in what a Kremlin aide described as "highly useful" talks. The meeting, the first such visit by the American officials since January, was aimed at exploring avenues to end the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy aide to Putin, said the US side "outlined a number of ideas regarding possible avenues for a settlement," though he declined to specify what those ideas were. He added that Putin reiterated Russia's position that it is making "real progress" on the battlefield and stressed the need to address what Moscow calls the "root causes" of the conflict.
The Kremlin also indicated that the discussions went beyond the conflict itself, touching on economic issues and potential bilateral projects. Putin's investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, who was present at the meeting, called it an "important peacemaking visit" in a post on social media.
At the start of the talks, Putin praised US President Donald Trump's efforts to resolve the war, acknowledging that Trump is navigating a difficult situation. The Russian leader also ordered the military not to strike the Ukrainian capital for three days to ensure the safety of the visiting negotiators, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. This follows a period of intense Russian aerial bombardment on Kyiv over the previous ten days.
The US envoys departed Moscow shortly after the talks and are scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Sunday. Ukraine has indicated it is prepared to refrain from strikes on Moscow through Monday.
Despite the diplomatic activity, a vast gulf remains between the two sides' positions. A source close to the Kremlin suggested Putin is still focused on capturing more territory, particularly in the Donetsk region, before any agreement on the front line could be reached. Ukraine has rejected any terms that would involve ceding land it has defended, viewing such demands as tantamount to surrender. The Kremlin reiterated on Friday that its long-standing position, which includes Ukraine ceding four regions and abandoning its NATO ambitions, remains "unshakeable."