Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of talks on Saturday with two US envoys seeking a deal to end the Ukraine war, a Kremlin aide said, calling the discussions “highly useful” but offering no sign of a breakthrough, Reuters reported.
The aide, Yuri Ushakov, said Americans Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner “outlined a number of ideas regarding possible avenues for a settlement.” He did not disclose the content of those proposals.
Putin told the envoys that Russia was making “real progress” on the battlefield, was confident of achieving its objectives, and stressed the need to address “all the root causes of the conflict,” Ushakov said.
These are familiar Kremlin positions repeated throughout the more than four-and-a-half-year war, even as both sides have intensified long-range air strikes in recent weeks while front lines remain largely static.
Witkoff and Kushner, visiting Moscow for the first time since January on behalf of President Donald Trump, made no comment after the meeting. They left the Russian capital soon afterwards and are due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Sunday.
“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,” Ushakov said.
“Overall, one can say that the negotiations were timely and highly useful for both sides.”
Putin’s investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who met the Americans on arrival, later posted on X that it had been an “important peacemaking visit.” Both he and Ushakov attended the meeting.
Putin praises Trump’s Push
In televised opening remarks, Putin commended Trump’s efforts to end the war. Trump had suggested on Friday that Washington had a fresh concrete proposal to bring the conflict to a close, without giving details.
“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,” Putin said.
Putin assured the US team of their security, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov adding that the Russian president had directed the armed forces to suspend strikes on Kyiv for three days to facilitate their visit.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine would hold fire on Moscow through Monday. He also confirmed that he spoke with the American delegation on Saturday afternoon after they reached the Russian capital.
“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,” he said.
Wide Gap On Endgame
A wide gap still separates Moscow and Kyiv on how to end Europe’s deadliest war since World War Two.
A source close to the Kremlin said on Friday the position that Putin set out in a speech two years ago – that Ukraine should cede the entire territory of four regions claimed by Russia and abandon its plan to join NATO – was “unshakeable.”
“There is no chance of reaching an agreement regarding the front line until Putin finishes securing the remaining part of the Donetsk region,” the source told Reuters, adding that the Kremlin leader was confident – based on reports from his commanders – that this would happen by the end of the year.
Since the last peace talks in February, each side has intensified long-range air attacks deep inside the other’s territory, while the war at sea has also escalated.
On the ground, the front lines have remained largely static, with Russia making only gradual gains in its attempt to take the whole of Ukraine’s Donbas region.
Ukraine’s drone strikes on Russian oil refineries have led to a summer of fuel shortages and rising prices for Russian motorists, while some 30 attacks on giant warehouses belonging mostly to Wildberries, the country’s biggest online retailer, have affected the consumer economy.
A Russian drone attack hit the headquarters of Ukraine’s SBU security service in Kyiv on Friday — the 10th consecutive day of heavy attacks on the capital — and Zelenskiy vowed to retaliate.