President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as Washington seeks to revive stalled diplomacy and find a path to ending the more than four-year war.
Witkoff, Kushner Hold Talks With Putin
On Saturday, Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin for more than three hours to discuss Trump’s proposal for ending the conflict, CBS News reported.
The White House said the sides discussed “substantive plans for next steps,” which it said it would announce in the coming weeks.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the U.S. representatives arrived prepared and presented “a number of ideas” for a potential settlement.
“The conversation was constructive, extremely frank and trustful,” Ushakov said, adding that Russia expressed confidence in achieving its objectives.
Trump said Friday that he had sent the two envoys to determine whether an agreement could be reached.
“We have an idea for peace,” Trump said. “There may be a good chance that we’ll do it.”
The talks coincided with a temporary pause in strikes against the two capitals.
Putin ordered Russian forces to halt strikes on Kyiv for 72 hours, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would refrain from striking Moscow through Monday.
Putin, Trump Envoys Push Ukraine Peace Efforts
On Thursday, Putin expressed optimism about a potential Ukraine peace deal, saying the U.S. and China were willing to support a settlement.
“Is there a chance? In my view, yes, there is,” Putin said, while stressing that Russia and Ukraine bore the main responsibility for ending the war.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also cited a “new dynamic” in peace efforts.
In July, Trump offered to help broker a resolution during a call with Putin, which the Kremlin described as “business-like and quite constructive.”
Putin said Russian forces were “confidently advancing,” while Ukraine rejected Russia’s claim of capturing Kostiantynivka.
Zelenskyy called the claim “just another Russian lie” and said his conversation with Trump was “very good.”
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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