Blurb: Putin’s three-hour Moscow talks with Trump’s envoys offered ideas for peace, but no breakthrough emerged from the high-level meeting
Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of talks with two U.S. envoys in Moscow on Saturday as Washington explored ways to ending the Ukraine war, but the meeting produced no sign of a breakthrough.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov described the discussions with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as “highly useful” and said the American representatives presented several ideas for a possible settlement. He did not disclose them.
Ushakov said Putin told the envoys that Russia was making “real progress” on the battlefield and remained confident it would achieve its objectives. At the same time, he stressed that any settlement would need to address what Moscow calls the “root causes” of the conflict.
The comments reflect Russia’s longstanding position since Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Fighting has continued despite efforts, with both sides increasing long-range air strikes in recent weeks while ground positions have remained largely unchanged.
A White House official described the talks as substantive and said Washington would announce next steps in the coming weeks. Witkoff and Kushner, visiting Moscow for the first time since January on behalf of President Donald Trump, left Russia soon after the meeting.
The U.S. envoys are scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Sunday, adding a new stage to the diplomatic effort.
Ushakov also said the meeting covered economic issues and Russian-American projects. Putin praised Trump’s efforts to end the war, while Russian investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev called the visit a peacemaking effort.
“Overall, one can say that the negotiations were timely and highly useful for both sides,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said. A White House official called the talks “substantive” and said next steps would be announced in the coming weeks. Ushakov said economic issues and potential Russian-American projects were also discussed. The envoys are expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Sunday.
