MOSCOW: US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner left Moscow on Saturday after more than three hours of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on efforts to end the Ukraine war, with the Kremlin reporting no breakthrough.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the US delegation presented “a number of ideas” on possible ways to reach a settlement but did not disclose details of the proposals.
Ushakov said Putin told the envoys that Russia was making progress on the battlefield and remained confident of achieving its objectives.
The Russian president also stressed that any settlement must address what Moscow describes as the “root causes” of the conflict, Ushakov said.
Witkoff and Kushner were visiting Moscow for the first time since January as part of US President Donald Trump’s efforts to broker an end to the war. They are due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Sunday.
Talks also cover US-Russia economic ties
Ushakov said the discussions went beyond the Ukraine conflict and included economic issues and potential Russian-US projects.
He described the talks as “timely and highly useful for both sides”.
Russian investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who attended the meeting, described the visit as an important peacemaking effort.
Putin backs Trump’s diplomatic efforts
Putin praised Trump’s efforts to end the war during televised remarks at the beginning of the meeting.
Trump said on Friday that Washington had a new proposal aimed at ending the conflict but did not provide details.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had ordered Russian forces not to strike Kyiv for three days during the US envoys’ visit.
The temporary halt came after Russia carried out repeated missile and drone attacks against Kyiv in recent days, including an attack on the headquarters of Ukraine’s SBU security service.
Ukraine has also carried out strikes against Russian energy infrastructure and other targets. Zelenskiy said Kyiv was prepared to refrain from strikes on Moscow through Monday.
Major differences remain between Moscow and Kyiv
Despite the latest diplomatic contacts, Russia and Ukraine remain divided over the terms of a possible peace agreement.
Russia has demanded territorial concessions from Ukraine and has opposed Kyiv’s plans to join NATO.
A source close to the Kremlin told Reuters that Putin remained focused on capturing additional territory in the Donetsk region.
Ukraine has rejected demands to surrender territory.
The Kremlin said Friday that Putin’s position on Ukraine, including his territorial demands and opposition to NATO membership, remained unchanged.
Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine continue to conduct long-range strikes against targets deep inside each other’s territory as fighting continues along the front.