The talks between Putin and Trump's envoys end after more than three hours, ahead of an expected visit to Kiev

The talks between Putin and Trump's envoys end after more than three hours, ahead of an expected visit to Kiev

Published 5 September 2026, 14:50 GMT

Last updated 57 minutes ago

Reading time: 5 minutes

Russian President Vladimir Putin's talks with US President Donald Trump's envoys, Steve Witkov and Jared Kushner, ended in the Kremlin after a meeting that lasted three hours and ten minutes and focused on efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov described the talks as “fruitful, constructive, extremely frank and confident,” saying they addressed the Ukrainian crisis along with other issues between Moscow and Washington.

Putin had said at the beginning of the meeting that contacts with the United States were "always fruitful" and praised Trump's efforts to reach a settlement to the war, while Witkov conveyed the greetings of the US President and thanked Putin for the measures taken to ensure the safety of the delegation.

He also ordered Russian forces to refrain from targeting Kiev for three days, starting at midnight on Saturday, at a time when the two American envoys are preparing to move to the Ukrainian capital.

On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced his country's readiness to refrain from targeting Moscow until the end of Monday, calling on Russia to take a similar step towards Kiev.

He said: "From now until the end of Saturday, as well as on Sunday and Monday, Ukraine is ready to refrain from directing strikes against Moscow, and we expect the Russians to do the same towards Kiev."

Moscow did not announce its agreement to a broader ceasefire for three days.

Zelensky added that he spoke to the American envoys who "have already begun working with the Russian side," stressing Kiev's readiness to hold "serious talks" upon the American delegation's arrival in the Ukrainian capital on Sunday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the official TASS agency that the decision to suspend the strikes came within the framework of "preparing for the contacts that the Americans will conduct in Kiev."

Witkov and Kushner are scheduled to move to Kiev on Sunday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, after concluding their talks in Moscow.

Trump told reporters that the two envoys carried a “proposal to end the war,” without revealing its details.

Wytkoff and Kushner have previously visited Moscow several times since Trump's return to the White House, but their upcoming visit to Kiev will be their first.

During the past eighteen months, Ukrainian delegations participated in negotiating rounds hosted by the United States, but American efforts have not yet succeeded in reaching an agreement between Moscow and Kiev.

Strikes precede Putin's decision

The Russian President's decision to temporarily refrain from targeting Kiev comes amid tension over a ceasefire proposed by Ukraine along the front line, coinciding with the US envoys' tour.

Peskov confirmed that Moscow had received notification of the initiative, saying that "this information had already been provided by the Ukrainian side." But Kiev accused Russian forces of not adhering to the ceasefire, and indicated that their attacks would continue during the night.

On Saturday morning, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the implementation of missile and drone strikes on targets in several Ukrainian regions, including the Kiev region.

The ministry said that its forces launched a "mass strike" on Friday night, using high-precision ground weapons and long-range attack drones.

She added that the attacks targeted metal factories in the Dnipropetrovsk region, which she said supply facilities belonging to the Ukrainian military industries, in addition to logistics centers and power stations in the city of Mykolaiv and the Mykolaiv and Odessa regions.

In a separate statement, the ministry said that Russian air defenses intercepted and destroyed 53 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones over the Moscow region, Krasnodar Territory and other regions.

On the other hand, Zelensky said that Russian forces launched strikes, which he described as “demonstrative,” on Kiev and Boryspil airports, prior to the American delegation’s visit.

The Ukrainian president considered that the attacks came in response to discussions and preparations related to the possibility of envoys traveling to Ukraine by air and landing at one of the two airports.

Zelensky had pledged to ensure the safety of Russian airspace during the presence of Witkov and Kushner in Moscow, calling on Russia to provide a similar guarantee during their visit to Kiev.

It is not yet clear how the American envoys will travel from Moscow to Kiev, knowing that Ukrainian airspace has been closed since Russia launched its comprehensive invasion in February 2022.

No breakthrough after Moscow talks

Ushakov said that the discussions dealt with "very serious issues", both during the formal part of the meeting and in an informal setting during a lunch.

He added that the American envoys expressed interest in ending hostilities as quickly as possible, and presented "a set of ideas" regarding possible ways to reach a settlement to the war.

He said that during the talks, the Russian side presented a detailed assessment of the field situation, pointing to what he described as the progress of Russian forces, expressing his confidence that Moscow would achieve its goals, and stressing the need to address what Russia describes as the “root causes” of the conflict.

But the Russian statements following the meeting did not include an announcement of an agreement or a breakthrough on the main issues that remain a matter of disagreement between Moscow and Kiev.

Ushakov said that Putin and Trump will continue their direct contacts, and that work through Witkov and Kushner will also continue.

The Kremlin had affirmed on the eve of the visit that Putin's position on the terms of the settlement remains unchanged, including demanding that Ukraine give up the entire territory of four regions claimed by Russia, and abandon efforts to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov had lowered expectations before the envoys arrived, saying that the success of their mission depended on the US administration’s willingness to work to reach what he described as a “real solution” that takes into account “the facts on the ground.”

He added that the situation on the ground is constantly changing, considering that these changes are not in Kiev's interest.

Ryabkov also criticized what he described as changes in the American position since the summit that brought together Putin and Trump in Alaska in August 2025.

He said that questions still remain regarding the extent of Washington's willingness to adhere to the framework discussed during the summit, and not be influenced by the parties opposed to the settlement.

The United States, Russia and Ukraine have separately talked about making progress towards ending the war, following a series of Washington-brokered talks last year. Ukraine's European allies also held meetings in Paris, but they ended without achieving a breakthrough.

The issues of territory, security guarantees, and the future of Ukraine's relationship with NATO remain at the heart of differences between the two sides, at a time when Russia and Ukraine have intensified their air attacks in recent months.