Putin Meets Witkoff and Kushner as US Revives Ukraine Peace Effort/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Russian President Vladimir Putin met U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin in an effort to revive stalled negotiations over Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine agreed to temporarily suspend attacks on each other’s capitals during the diplomatic mission, but the arrangement is not a broader ceasefire. The talks began after another wave of attacks killed five workers in Ukraine and wounded civilians on both sides.
Quick Look
- Putin met Witkoff and Kushner at the Kremlin on Saturday.
- The envoys are scheduled to visit Kyiv on Sunday.
- It will be their first trip to Kyiv during the current peace process.
- Russia announced a three-day pause in attacks on Kyiv.
- Ukraine said it would suspend strikes on Moscow through Monday.
- The limited arrangement covers the capitals, not the entire war.
- No breakthrough or new peace agreement was announced.
- Fighting continued elsewhere in Ukraine and Russia.
- Five workers were reported killed at an industrial facility in Dnipropetrovsk.
Deep Look
Putin receives US envoys at the Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin met U.S. representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin on Saturday as Washington renewed its attempt to advance negotiations ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
At the opening of the meeting, Putin asked the envoys to convey his appreciation and warm wishes to President Donald Trump. He characterized the situation surrounding Ukraine as “not simple.”
The diplomatic mission follows months of limited movement in the peace process, as the Trump administration increasingly concentrated its attention on the conflict with Iran.
Witkoff and Kushner last made a publicly known visit to Moscow in January, when they also met Putin. Their latest trip will be followed by talks in Kyiv.
First Kyiv visit scheduled for Sunday
Ukrainian officials said Witkoff and Kushner would travel to Kyiv on Sunday, marking their first visit to the Ukrainian capital during the current negotiating process.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the schedule had been confirmed through Trump’s team. The envoys are expected to present and discuss a U.S. proposal intended to revive negotiations, although its terms have not been publicly detailed.
Zelenskyy said he spoke with the American delegation after it arrived in Moscow.
Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev met the delegation at the airport and posted photographs of its arrival with the message, “Welcome to Moscow Peacemakers.”
Temporary pause covers Kyiv and Moscow
Putin and Zelenskyy separately agreed to suspend attacks on the opposing side’s capital while the U.S. diplomatic mission proceeded.
“(Russian President Vladimir) Putin has ordered that no strikes be carried out against Kyiv for three days, starting at midnight today,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s Tass news agency.
Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine would halt attacks on Moscow through Monday and called on Russia to observe an equivalent restriction.
“From now through the end of Saturday, as well as on Sunday and Monday, Ukraine is ready to refrain from strikes on Moscow, and we expect the Russians to do the same regarding Kyiv,” Zelenskyy said.
The commitments represent a narrow and temporary pause involving the two capitals. They do not amount to a nationwide ceasefire, and neither government announced a suspension of military operations elsewhere.
Peace initiative follows intensified air attacks
The talks began after a renewed escalation in aerial operations by both countries.
Russia has increased attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, including bombardments continuing into daylight hours. Ukraine, which faces shortages of air-defense equipment, has carried out long-range strikes against Russian military facilities, refineries and commercial infrastructure.
A Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s Security Service, or SBU, in central Kyiv on Friday. Ukrainian officials said 12 people were wounded. The agency participates in Ukraine’s operations against targets inside Russia.
Zelenskyy accuses Russia of targeting airports
Zelenskyy said Russian forces attacked Kyiv and Boryspil international airports overnight. He linked those strikes to preparations for the American delegation’s visit.
“Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the U.S. side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.
“We have taken note of this Russian move, and next week we will adjust our operation accordingly regarding Russian airspace, which has become dangerous because of our drones and missiles in the sky. Of course, there are and will be no threats to diplomacy from our side.”
Russia did not immediately accept Zelenskyy’s characterization of the airport attacks.
Five workers killed in Dnipropetrovsk
Russian attacks killed five people and wounded five others at an industrial facility in Ukraine’s southern Dnipropetrovsk regionaccording to regional military administrator Oleksandr Hanzha.
“A locksmith, an electrician, a plumber and a machinist. People of peaceful professions. They were simply working their shift. They were doing their job when enemy missiles cut off their lives,” Hanzha said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces struck two metallurgical plants in the region, describing them as “major suppliers of metal products for Ukraine’s military production.”
The competing accounts could not be independently reconciled.
A separate attack in the Nikopol district wounded a 62-year-old man and damaged several homes and an apartment building, Ukrainian officials said.
Civilian injuries reported in other regions
Two people were wounded during an attack on the Kyiv region, where a resulting fire partially destroyed a nine-story residential building in the Boryspil district.
Ukrainian emergency services said repeated drone attacks damaged a shopping center and caused fires in the southern Mykolaiv region. A 72-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl were wounded.
Emergency personnel reportedly had to leave the scene several times because of the danger of additional strikes before returning to continue their work.
In Russia’s Belgorod border region, local officials said Ukrainian attacks wounded three people, including a 14-year-old girl.
Both sides report extensive drone activity
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched ballistic missiles from the Rostov and Voronezh regions and deployed 167 attack and decoy drones overnight.
According to the Ukrainian military, air defenses intercepted or suppressed 128 of those aircraft. The reported force included Shahed-type and Geran drones, with approximately half described as jet-powered.
Russia’s Defense Ministry separately said its forces intercepted 53 Ukrainian drones.
The claims from both militaries were not independently verified. The continuing operations underscored the limited nature of the Kyiv-Moscow pause and the distance between a temporary diplomatic accommodation and a comprehensive settlement.
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