President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, traveled to Moscow and Kiev for meetings on ending the war in Ukraine.
On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held three hours of talks with Kushner and Witkoff. Yuri Ushakov, an aide in the Kremlin, described the talks as “highly useful,” adding that the American side “outlined a number of ideas regarding possible avenues for a settlement.”
“The talks went beyond a mere exchange of views on resolving the Ukrainian crisis. Economic issues and potential major, mutually beneficial Russian-American projects were discussed in some detail.” He continued, “Overall, one can say that the negotiations were timely and highly useful for both sides.”
A US official told Reuters that the talks were “substantive.” However, neither side announced a breakthrough following the meeting.
On Sunday, Witkoff and Kushner traveled to Kiev for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders.
The renewed push from the White House to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine comes as the conflict is escalating. Kiev’s air defenses have been depleted, leaving Ukraine vulnerable to Russian ballistic missiles. Russia has intensified missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, including strikes on Kiev.
Ukraine has conducted long-range strikes inside Russian territory targeting energy infrastructure. Speaking before the talks, Putin said he appreciated Trump’s interest in negotiating an end to the conflict. “Understanding that he is entering a difficult situation, he nevertheless does not stop his efforts to help bring about a settlement and to make his contribution to resolving the Russian-Ukrainian conflict,” he said.
