Witkoff, Kushner meet Putin in Moscow, head to Kyiv as Russia halts Kyiv strikes
The Kremlin visit marks the latest attempt by President Trump's envoys to revive Russia-Ukraine talks that stalled six months ago
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Saturday to discuss US proposals for ending the war in Ukraine, in an effort to restart direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv after negotiations broke down six months ago. The two sides secured a brief pause in airstrikes to allow the envoys to travel on to Kyiv on Sunday, their first visit to the Ukrainian capital.
The meeting ran three hours and was followed by dinner with Putin, according to a Kremlin press briefing. Putin opened the talks by asking the envoys to pass along his "very best wishes" and gratitude to President Trump, and Witkoff told Putin their meetings would be among the "incredible stories" he recalls in retirement.
Putin told the envoys he has "full trust" in US mediation between Russia and Ukraine, and Witkoff thanked him for releasing former US Marine Robert Gilman and for agreeing to the strike pause. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin ordered no strikes on Kyiv for three days starting at midnight Saturday, tying the pause to preparations for the envoys' visit, but said there was "no talk of new ideas" to end the conflict.
Putin stressed the two sides had not agreed to a wider ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he spoke with Witkoff and Kushner Saturday and that Ukraine was ready to hold off on striking Moscow through Monday, "and we expect the Russians to do the same regarding Kyiv."
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Zelensky linked overnight Russian strikes on Kyiv's Boryspil airport and a second regional airport to preparations for the US delegation's expected arrival by air. "Evidently, these Russian strikes on airports are a reaction to discussions and preparations regarding the possibility of the American side using an aircraft to arrive in Ukraine," he said.
Gene Lange, the Treasury Department's acting sanctions czar, joined the delegation and held a preparatory meeting with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, a sign that sanctions relief was part of the discussions. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told his Russian counterpart last week that Washington would not offer economic relief until the war ends.
A White House official said officials from the National Security Council, State Department and Treasury Department also took part in the Kremlin talks, adding that "substantive plans for next steps" would be announced in the coming weeks, with further meetings expected in Kyiv.