Ukraine-Russia war: Putin holds talks with Trump envoys, no breakthrough reported

Russian president Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow as Donald Trump’s administration stepped up efforts to broker an end to the Ukraine war.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the talks were “substantive, constructive and extremely frank”, but he gave no indication of any breakthrough.

He added that “the negotiations were timely and highly useful for both sides”. He said the US envoys “outlined a number of ideas regarding possible avenues for a settlement”, while Putin “reaffirmed Russia’s readiness to continue working with the US to find a political and diplomatic solution” to the conflict.

Putin told the envoys that Russia was making “real progress” on the battlefield, and that “all the root causes of the conflict” needed to be addressed.

Witkoff and Kushner have since left Moscow and are due to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday.

Putin said he had ordered Russian forces to halt strikes on Kyiv after receiving a request through diplomatic and intelligence channels, while Ukraine has said it will similarly refrain from striking Moscow through Monday.

Russia says it will not strike Kyiv for three days during US visit

Russia has ordered its military not to strike Kyiv for three days as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travel to the Ukrainian capital, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Putin later told the envoys he had received a request through diplomatic and intelligence channels to guarantee their safety. “I issued the relevant order, and no strikes have been carried out on Kyiv since midnight,” he said.

Watch: Modi urges Putin to end Ukraine war ‘for humanity’s sake’

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi urged Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine during talks in Bishkek on 31 August, saying “every step toward peace gives all of humanity real hope”.

Putin thanked Modi and replied: “We are moving forward along this path.”

Putin praises Trump’s efforts to end Ukraine war

Vladimir Putin praised Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine as he met the US president’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow.

Speaking at the start of the meeting, Putin said: “Understanding that he is entering a difficult situation, he nevertheless does not stop his efforts to help bring about a settlement and to make his contribution to resolving the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.”

Witkoff, meanwhile, said Trump had sent his best wishes and thanked Putin for the limited ceasefire during their visit.

The talks lasted more than three hours, with Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov later describing them as “highly useful”, although no breakthrough was announced.

Kremlin says Putin’s Ukraine peace demands remain ‘unshakeable’

The Kremlin said on Friday that Vladimir Putin’s demands for ending the war in Ukraine remained “unshakeable”, one day before the Russian president was due to meet US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow.

Moscow says Ukraine must cede the entirety of the four regions claimed by Russia – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – and abandon its ambition to join NATO. Kyiv has consistently rejected surrendering territory.

Trump said on Friday that Witkoff and Kushner were taking “a proposal to end the war”, but did not disclose its contents. After their meeting with Putin on Saturday, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the US envoys had “outlined a number of ideas regarding possible avenues for a settlement”.