Trump envoys Witkoff, Kushner meet Putin in Moscow as US pushes again to revive peace talks with Ukraine | Today’s news

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow and began talks with Vladimir Putin as part of a renewed attempt by the Trump administration to break the impasse over Russia’s war in Ukraine.

American envoys arrive in Moscow to begin peace negotiations

The visit marks one of Washington’s most significant diplomatic moves in months, bringing two of President Donald Trump’s closest negotiators directly to the Kremlin before they are expected to travel to Kiev for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Witoff, Trump’s special envoy, and Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, arrived in the Russian capital on Saturday and were received by Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s investment envoy and a key figure in contacts between Moscow and Washington. They were then expected to meet Putin alongside senior Russian officials.

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Witkoff and Kushner visited Moscow to engage in peace talks aimed at breaking the deadlock over Russia’s war in Ukraine and to see if serious negotiations could be resumed.

Putin ordered a temporary pause in airstrikes on Kiev as a gesture during a visit by US envoys to create a diplomatic window for possible negotiations.

The US aims to revive peace talks by sending envoys Witkoff and Kushner to Moscow and Kiev with a new peace proposal that seeks to create a dialogue on contentious issues such as territory and security.

Ukraine is wary of accepting concessions that could reward a Russian invasion, believing that such actions could undermine its sovereignty and security.

Witkoff and Kushner face significant challenges because of entrenched differences over territorial claims, military guarantees and Ukraine’s future relationship with NATO that have historically stalled negotiations.

Read also | Will the war in Ukraine end? After Zelensky, Putin ordered a 72-hour pause in the Kiev strikes

Their mission comes with a new US peace proposal in hand, although the full details of the plan have not been made completely public.

The talks are taking place against a familiar and deep-seated problem: Moscow and Kiev remain far apart on territorial and security issues that have repeatedly thwarted attempts to end the war.

President Vladimir Putin, right, greets U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, second from left, and Jared Kushner before a meeting at the Kremlin’s Senate Palace in Moscow, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)(Gavriil Grigorov/Pool Sputnik Kr)

Russia continued to pressure Ukraine to give up territory in the Donetsk region and abandon its ambitions to join NATO. Kiev rejected both demands, arguing that accepting such terms would reward a Russian invasion and leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attacks.

The trip of the American delegation is therefore more a sign that the peace agreement is about to collapse than an attempt to see if there is enough room left for serious negotiations.

A break around the two main cities

The diplomatic mission was also accompanied by a temporary reduction in attacks in the vicinity of Moscow and Kiev.

Putin ordered a three-day pause in military strikes against Kiev, while Zelenskyi announced a mutual freeze on strikes against Moscow during a visit by US envoys. The arrangement is limited and does not constitute a wider ceasefire, but it has created a brief diplomatic window around the meetings – a narrow one at that.

Read also | Russia suspends airstrikes in Kiev as US envoys hold talks

The war is now in its fifth year, and previous rounds of talks have repeatedly stalled as discussions have shifted from humanitarian issues to the politically explosive issues of territory, military guarantees and Ukraine’s future relationship with the West.

The Guardian said the latest mission aims to revive peace efforts that have fizzled in recent months, with Witkoff and Kushner expected to take the outcome of their Moscow discussions to Kiev.

Why Kushner’s Role Matters

Jared Kushner’s role added another dimension to the negotiations. While Witkoff has emerged as Trump’s chief emissary for a number of international crises, Kushner’s. the involvement underscores the White House’s decision to rely on a small group of trusted presidential intermediaries for some of its sensitive diplomacy.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff, right, and Jared Kushner smile as they await a meeting with President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin’s Senate Palace in Moscow, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)(Gavriil Grigorov/Pool Sputnik Kr)

The two men have previously worked together on negotiations, and their trip to Moscow puts them at the center of Trump’s latest effort to personally shape a possible settlement.

For Russia, the visit offers another direct channel to Washington. However, the key question for Ukraine will be what will come out of these discussions and whether any American proposal asks Kiev to accept concessions it has long considered acceptable.

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Is peace closer than before?

There were no signs on Saturday that Moscow and Kiev would reduce their fundamental difference ahead of the meetings.

Any deal would still have to address Russia’s territorial claims, Ukraine’s sovereignty and security guarantees, and the future of Ukraine’s military and its relationship with NATO. These issues have defeated previous diplomatic efforts and remain at the heart of the war.

For the time being, the arrival of Kushner and Witkoff reopened a diplomatic channel that had lost steam.

Whether it prompts more than another round of talks will depend on what Moscow or Kiev have so far shown a willingness to capitulate: their stance on the basic terms of peace.