Trump envoys Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin for three hours in latest push to restart frozen Ukraine peace negotiations.
Published
U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin for three hours Saturday, discussing U.S. ideas for ending the war in Ukraine. The meeting marked the latest effort to revive peace talks that were suspended six months ago, with fighting escalating ahead of winter.
Simultaneously, Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to pause strikes on each other's capitals while the U.S. envoys held their talks in Moscow. The reciprocal strike pause represents a rare de-escalation in the nearly three-year conflict.
The Kremlin characterized the talks with the U.S. envoys as useful, though officials acknowledged no breakthrough was achieved. The Biden administration had previously facilitated limited negotiations, but direct talks between Russia and Ukraine broke down earlier this year.
Witkoff and Kushner, both close allies of former President Trump, have been tasked with exploring pathways to end the hostilities. Trump has indicated he would seek to mediate a resolution if returned to office. The pause on capital strikes provides a temporary window for diplomacy, though analysts caution that substantive obstacles to a lasting peace remain.
Sources: 1. ABC News: Witkoff, Kushner meet with Putin to discuss Ukraine war — https://abcnews.com/International/witkoff-kushner-meet-putin-discuss-ukraine-war/story?id=136231643 (src1) 2.