US envoys Witkoff and Kushner in Moscow, talks with Putin. Today the visit to Kiev

Yesterday's meeting between Vladimir Putin and the special envoys of US President Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner was "constructive and frank". “The conversation lasted three hours and 10 minutes, it was meaningful, constructive, extremely frank and confidential,” Yuri Ushakov, a Russian presidential adviser who attended the meeting, told reporters. Witkoff and Kushner traveled to Moscow on behalf of the US president "to continue dialogue on resolving the crisis in Ukraine and discuss other relevant issues", Ushakov reported, specifying that it was their eighth visit to Russia.

Meanwhile, despite the 72-hour truce in the capitals, coinciding with the diplomatic mission, the night was a fiery one in the Zaporizhzhia region: 54 settlements hit, one dead and 25 injured. Ukrainian drones hit a Russian refinery in Ryazan.

Today Witkoff and Kushner will be in Ukraine for the first time at Zelensky's.

One of the military objectives set by Volodymyr Zelensky on which the Ukrainian apparatus is working is to be able to launch "1,000 drones per night" for raids against targets in Russia, compared to the current rate of around 300: this is what was explained by Serhii Beskrestnov, defense technology advisor to the leader of Kiev, in statements reported by the Guardian. Ukraine will "increasingly attack Russia with deep raids," Beskrestnov argued, explaining that the targets targeted are usually factories, warehouses and refineries. "Our president has given us the goal of increasing the number of attacks to 1,000 per day," he said. Adding that one of the ways adopted to create problems for Russia is the campaign of actions aimed at hindering civil aviation activities in the country, again through drones. “I think it's very simple: it is not necessary for us to attack an airport, we just need to fly near the airport and the airport will be closed,” he explained. Zelensky's advisor also explained what is one of the main current concerns of the Ukrainian president: the insufficient number of Patriot interceptors available for air defense. In this regard, he said he was "not sure" that Kiev will be able to obtain the necessary quantities of this type of weapon from other countries to avoid serious problems. Beskrestnov also says he is convinced that between Ukraine and Russia "no one will emerge victorious". Because both countries "will have destroyed economies and infrastructure. Which is stupid." "We should stop this war. We have proposed to Russia to stop it, but Russia does not want to stop," he added.

An unprecedented trilateral meeting involving the leaders of Russia, China and the United States "is not ruled out", Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Serghei Ryabkov said in an interview with the Russian Tass agency. "The idea exists and has also been aired publicly. However, to say that it is entering the preparatory phase would be an exaggeration", said the deputy minister in response to a question, writes Tass. "Again, the main question is how the substantive aspect will be formulated and what can be expected as a result. Although it is clear that the formats, especially at the highest level, are in themselves extremely significant and send the necessary signals. Like, for example, the Ric format," he added, referring to the Russia-India-China format. "But a trilateral format involving the leaders of Russia, China and the United States has never been tested. I can't rule out anything, of course," Ryabkov concluded.

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner presented Vladimir Putin with several possible ways of resolving the conflict in Ukraine. During the meeting that the two envoys of Donald Trump's president had with the Russian president "they not only reiterated their traditional interest in a rapid cessation of hostilities, but also put forward a series of considerations on the possible avenues for a solution". This was reported by Yury Ushakov, advisor to the Russian President, at the end of the talks for which, he added, "they had prepared with great seriousness".

Yesterday's meeting between Vladimir Putin and the special envoys of US President Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner was "constructive and frank". "The conversation lasted three hours and ten minutes, it was significant, constructive, extremely frank and confidential", Yuri Ushakov, Russian presidential advisor who participated in the meeting, told journalists "The discussion on extremely serious issues continued both in a formal context and informally, at the table". Witkoff and Kushner traveled to Moscow on behalf of the US president "to continue dialogue on resolving the crisis in Ukraine and discuss other relevant issues", Ushakov reported, specifying that it was their eighth visit to Russia. At the beginning of the meeting, Putin "publicly praised this mediation channel and the role of the US negotiators, extended his best wishes to President Donald Trump, thanking him for his efforts in resolving the Ukrainian crisis and expressed his sincere hope to facilitate the rapid achievement of mutually acceptable solutions", added Ushakov.

Gene Lange, acting head of sanctions at the US Treasury Department, accompanied Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on their mission to Moscow. A presence which, according to Axios, indicates how the topic of American sanctions against Russia, and their possible easing as part of an agreement on Ukraine, has also entered the discussions between Washington and Moscow.

Lange participated in a preparatory meeting with Kirill Dmitriev, envoy of Russian President Vladimir Putin, but not in the subsequent approximately three-hour meeting in the Kremlin between Putin, Witkoff and Kushner. His participation in the mission comes after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reiterated last week that the United States will not give Russia any sanctions relief until Moscow ends the war in Ukraine.

During the night, Ukrainian attack drones would have hit, causing a fire, the Russian oil refinery in Ryazan, a town about 150 km south-east of Moscow, and "other Russian cities", according to what the Kyiv Independent writes, which cites sources including the independent Ukrainian military information and monitoring Telegram channel Exilenva Plus, which does not specify which other cities would have been hit. The source also speaks of intense Russian air defense in the Rostov region, on the border with Ukraine. The attacks come as Ukraine and Russia have agreed not to strike their respective capitals, coinciding with the visit of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to the two cities for peace talks. Russia also has not stopped attacks on Ukraine outside of Kiev, where attacks across the country yesterday caused at least three deaths and more than twenty injuries, the Kyiv Independent recalls.

US peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected in Kiev today for the first time after the three-hour meeting they had yesterday in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin. With the 72-hour truce underway, the White House said yesterday there was talk of "substantial plans" for peace in Ukraine. For the Kremlin the talks were "extremely frank". Putin, Moscow reports, underlined the need to address all the root causes of the Ukrainian conflict.