The new talks on the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine between Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin and US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, which were scheduled at short notice, have come to an end in Moscow. After around three hours of discussions, US President Donald Trump's two envoys left the Kremlin that night, as state media reported and also published a video of the motorcade.
Nothing is yet known about the results of the discussions. The Kremlin had announced that it would inform the public following the meeting.
Sarah Sendner
Media: Putin begins talks with US special envoy in the Kremlin
According to a media report, Russian President Vladimir Putin is starting talks with US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the Kremlin. This emerges from a video on the channel of the Russian Presidential Office on the messenger service MAX. Putin describes the situation they would have to deal with in the negotiations as “difficult.”
Patricia Hoffhaus
USA: NATO states must not tolerate hybrid warfare
According to the USA, NATO states must not tolerate targeted hybrid attacks. The attempted drone attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport last month is more worrying than stray Russian drones, says US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker on the sidelines of a conference in Italy. NATO members must be vigilant and send a clear message as soon as the perpetrators of such acts are identified. Critical infrastructure such as energy systems could also be targeted. Responding to these challenges is primarily a national task, but the USA stands by the affected countries. Germany blames Russia for the incident in Leipzig.
Patricia Hoffhaus
Russia attacks ships in southern Ukraine
According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russian forces attacked two bulk carriers and a container ship in the port of Chornomorsk and another freighter near Odessa. The ships would be used to transport military supplies for the Ukrainian armed forces, reports the Interfax news agency, citing the ministry.
Julius Stockheim
Putin suspends attacks on Kyiv for three days
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a 72-hour pause in attacks on Kiev. “Putin has ordered that no attacks on Kiev may be carried out for three days from midnight today,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the state news agency Tass on Saturday. The move is related to preparations for US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner's trip to Kiev for peace talks.
Peskov confirmed that Putin would receive US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner this Saturday. Ukraine had already promised yesterday not to endanger Russian airspace for three days because of this visit. The two US negotiators are expected to hold talks in Kiev for the first time on Sunday.
Julius Stockheim
Convoy with Witkoff and Kushner leaves the airport for Moscow
A convoy with US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner leaves the airport and heads towards downtown Moscow. Kirill Dmitriev, adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, was also in the motorcade, a Reuters eyewitness reported. The Russian state news agency Tass had previously reported that Putin confidant Kirill Dmitriyev had received the two US negotiators at the airport.
A convoy of vehicles drives from Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow towards the city center: the US special envoys have landed. REUTERS/Ramil Sitdikov
Julius Stockheim
Russian attack paralyzes steelworks in Dnipro
Five people were killed in a Russian rocket attack on a steel mill in the eastern Ukrainian region of Dnipro. Steel producer Metinvest said production facilities and infrastructure were damaged and all operations were therefore stopped. “This is a new attack on a Metinvest civilian steel production facility and further evidence of Russia's systematic attacks on Ukrainian industry,” the company explains. The Kamet steelworks produces pig iron and steel exclusively for civil purposes.
Julius Stockheim
Five dead in Ukrainian attack in Russian-controlled Luhansk region
Five people have been killed in Ukrainian attacks in the Russian-controlled part of the Luhansk region of Ukraine in the past 24 hours. Leonid Pasechnik, the Russian-appointed governor, said five more people were injured in the occupied territory. However, such reports about the fighting cannot be independently monitored.
Julius Stockheim
Insider: Putin's adviser Dmitriev will meet US envoys
US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will meet with Russian presidential adviser Kirill Dmitriev when they arrive in Moscow on Saturday, according to an insider. The Reuters news agency learned this from two people familiar with the visit.
Dmitriev told Reuters in June that he had remained in touch with US negotiators during a break in visits. He also attended all previous meetings of U.S. envoys with Russian President Vladimir Putin and was involved in negotiating exemptions from U.S. sanctions for Russian oil this year.
Kirill Alexandrovich Dmitriev is head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the Russian state investment fund and a close confidant of Putin. dpa
Julius Stockheim
Zelensky: Russia attacks airports before visiting US envoy
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia attacked the airports in Kiev and the nearby city of Boryspil ahead of the visit of two US special envoys. Ukrainian airspace has been closed since Russia's large-scale invasion began in February 2022.
However, according to Zelensky, the possibility was discussed that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner could use a plane for their expected visit to Kiev on Sunday. “Obviously, these Russian attacks on the airports are a response to the discussions and preparations for a possible deployment of a US aircraft in Ukraine with landing at Kiev airport or Boryspil airport,” Zelenskyy explains on Telegram. “Russian-Iranian drones in response to American diplomacy.”
Julius Stockheim
Media reports: US envoys Witkoff and Kushner probably landed in Moscow
According to a media report, US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have probably arrived in Moscow. The Russian state news agency Interfax, citing aviation circles, reports that a plane that presumably transported the two landed. US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Witkoff and his son-in-law Kushner would travel abroad to try to reach a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
The Russian state news agency Tass also reported that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were received at the airport by Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev. According to US President Donald Trump, they will later fly on to Kiev. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was expecting Witkoff and Kushner in Kiev on Sunday. Ukraine will refrain from air strikes during the talks, Zelensky said on Telegram.
Julius Stockheim
IAEA: Ceasefire for repair of power lines at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a ceasefire has come into force at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine. The IAEA, which is monitoring the situation on site, said it was used to repair power lines and restore power to the nuclear power plant. With its six reactors, the nuclear power plant is the largest in Europe and has been under Russian control since March 2022.
All reactors have been shut down for a long time. The nuclear power plant is therefore in the so-called cold shutdown state, in which it requires a constant power supply to cool the fuel elements. If the external power supply fails due to combat operations, the nuclear power plant is only supplied by emergency generators. This has been the case again since August 20th. The power plant's diesel reserves were running low, the IAEA said. There is a risk of a complete power outage within a few days if the external power supply is not restored or more diesel fuel is transported to the site.
Lydia Wolter
Russia: US should consider realities on the ground
Russia is calling on the US to take battlefield realities into account in talks about ending the conflict, ahead of a possible visit by its special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kiev. The situation is changing to Ukraine's disadvantage, says Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, according to the Russian state news agency Tass. “The key question is to what extent the US government is willing to invest in finding a real solution to the current crisis, given the realities on the ground.”
Lydia Wolter
Before US mediation: dead in air strikes on Ukraine
Four people were killed in a Russian airstrike in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine ahead of a US mediation mission in the Ukraine war. The attack hit an industrial plant in the city of Kamianske, regional governor Olexander Hanscha said on Telegram. There were six injured. The Russian military in Moscow spoke of an attack on a large metal combine that supplies the Ukrainian defense industry.
Impacts by Russian drones were also reported in the Kyiv area during the night. However, 59 Ukrainian drones were repelled over Russia during the night, as the Defense Ministry in Moscow announced. The comparatively low number suggests that Ukraine is, as announced, observing a ceasefire due to the visit of US mediators.
Miriam Braun
Trump on drone discovery: Putin is not planning any attacks on NATO
After the suspected Russian attempted attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport, US President Donald Trump still sees no danger of a Russian attack on NATO. "We talk to each other, I know him very well. Putin is not planning an attack on NATO territory," said Trump when asked whether the discovery of an explosive drone at Leipzig/Halle Airport constituted such an attack. The US President did not provide any further information.
Trump had already made similar comments at the end of August after CIA chief John Ratcliffe made a surprise visit to Moscow. The Wall Street Journal and Politico magazine previously reported that Ratcliffe had warned the Kremlin against attacking NATO allies. At this point, however, the federal government had not yet officially blamed Russia for the attempted attack.
Miriam Braun
Trump confirms Witkoff and Kushner's trip to Moscow and Kyiv
US President Donald Trump has also confirmed the travel plans of his negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Russia and Ukraine. Witkoff and Kushner flew first to Moscow and then to Kiev, Trump said on Friday. “They are bringing a proposal to end the war,” he added. The trip should last until the beginning of next week.
Vivian Melchert
Zelenskyj: Kushner and Witkoff are coming to Kiev on Sunday after visiting Moscow
The two US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected in Kiev on Sunday, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Before that, they would visit Moscow, Zelensky said on Friday. During their stay in the Russian capital, Ukraine will guarantee security in Russian airspace. Conversely, Russia must also stop its air strikes on Ukraine during the visit of the two envoys.
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Laura Thalmeyer
Russian drone hits Kiev secret service headquarters
A Russian drone hit the main building of the Ukrainian secret service SBU in central Kiev. “The drone aimed directly at the office of the head of the SBU in this building,” said President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to the city administration, at least twelve people were injured in the attack and the roof and outer wall of the building were also damaged. Zelensky instructed SBU boss Olexander Poklad to respond to Russia in a “mirror image”. Zelensky later said that the geographical framework for the response had been determined and the timing would be chosen to ensure results.
According to the museum administration, the attack also damaged a UNESCO World Heritage building in the St. Sophia Cathedral complex. Window panes in an 18th century administrative building were broken. Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called the attack a “significant escalation” and called on UNESCO to respond. At the same time, he demanded condemnation from international partners and more pressure on Russia. The attack took place during a new attempt at peace talks with US mediation.
Vivian Melchert
Security concerns are expected to delay travel by US envoys to Moscow and Kyiv
The planned trips of the two US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Russia and Ukraine this weekend have not yet been finally confirmed due to US security concerns. The Reuters news agency learned this on Friday from a person familiar with the situation. The USA continued to seek guarantees from both sides to ensure the safety of the envoys before their planned departure to Moscow on Saturday and to Kiev on Sunday. The Russian state agency Tass and the US news portal “Axios” had independently reported on an upcoming visit.
Vivian Melchert
Kremlin sees no basis for peace - visit from the USA?
The Kremlin sees no basis for an end to the war in Ukraine ahead of a possible visit by US President Donald Trump's negotiators to Moscow. “There are no concrete prerequisites yet,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in Moscow. But diplomatic work is continuing and contacts will continue, he said, according to the state news agency Tass.
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