US peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner engaged in over three hours of discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, as part of Washington’s bid to rejuvenate peace efforts in the Ukraine conflict. The White House indicated that these talks centered on substantive plans for advancing towards a potential resolution, with more details anticipated in the coming weeks. Following their meeting in Moscow, Witkoff and Kushner were slated to travel to Kyiv for discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Kremlin representatives reported that the dialogue included various proposals for a potential settlement, though they did not indicate any significant progress had been achieved. President Putin reiterated Russia’s stance that the fundamental issues underlying the conflict must be resolved and asserted that Russia was gaining ground on the battlefield. Meanwhile, President Zelenskyy noted that Russian attacks on Kyiv and the Boryspil international airport seemed linked to the arrival of the American negotiators, and he cautioned that Ukraine would modify its military actions in response to Russia’s use of airspace for assaults.
The attempt to restart negotiations comes after previous peace initiatives failed to yield an agreement. Ending the war has been a major foreign-policy objective for President Donald Trump, who recently stated that Witkoff and Kushner were carrying a new proposal aimed at resolving the conflict. However, significant differences persist between Moscow and Kyiv. Russia’s demands include retaining control over territories it claims and opposing Ukraine’s NATO membership ambitions, conditions that Ukraine has refused.
In recent weeks, the war has escalated, with both Russia and Ukraine conducting long-range drone and missile strikes. Russian forces have targeted Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, while Ukraine has struck Russian military installations, energy infrastructure, and oil refineries in an effort to weaken Moscow’s military capabilities. As fighting continues along the approximately 1,250-kilometer frontline, Washington’s latest diplomatic efforts aim to narrow the considerable gaps between the two sides.
