Kremlin chief Putin and US President Trump's envoys spoke in Moscow for around three hours about Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Now the negotiators are traveling to Kyiv for the first time.
Putin speaks again with Trump's envoys Kushner and Witkoff (from left) about a possible end to his war of aggression against Ukraine. Photo: Uncredited/Pool Sputnik Kremlin/AP/dpa
Moscow/Kyiv. After meeting with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow, US mediators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travel to Kiev for the first time for talks about a possible end to the war in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyj wants to receive US President Donald Trump's envoys in the Ukrainian capital today. The visit will take place under the protection of a local, three-day ceasefire declared by Zelensky and Putin. Moscow has pledged to refrain from air strikes against the city of Kiev for the safety of US envoys.
Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law left the Kremlin that night after a three-hour conversation with Putin. According to reports, the conversation initially did not produce any tangible results. Putin's foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov then spoke of constructive, content-rich and trusting discussions. The US side initially did not comment publicly on the conversation with the Russian head of state.
Kremlin: Putin reports advance on the front
According to Ushakov, Putin was once again convinced that he would achieve the goals of his war - which Russia calls a special military operation. Putin gave his assessment of the situation. “In particular, the real successes of the Russian army in advancing in the operational area were highlighted,” Ushakov said.
However, experts give different assessments about the supposed and real progress of the warring parties in the frontline area. Russia has hardly been able to report any territorial gains for months. There are always doubts as to whether Putin is being truthfully informed about the situation by his general staff.
Above all, it is important for Russia to eliminate the root causes of the conflict, said Ushakov. This includes Moscow's actions against the Russian language, which is widespread in parts of Ukraine.
US envoys are supposed to convey Putin's position in Kyiv
Ushakov said nothing about new proposals for ending the war that Trump and the Kremlin said would be presented at the meeting. Putin is counting on Witkoff and Kushner to convey the Russian perspective to Kiev, he emphasized. This did not initially suggest that there could be any movement towards resolving the conflict.
In August, CIA chief John Ratcliffe was also unexpectedly in Moscow for talks at the secret service level. According to US media reports, the intelligence chief portrayed Russia's economic and military position as weakened and urged Moscow to agree to a negotiated solution to end the war in Ukraine.
Expert: Visit without results
“As expected, the visit of Witkoff and Kushner led to nothing - except for a formal resumption of the negotiation process, which had been paused since the spring - with the beginning of American aggression against Iran,” said Moscow American expert Dmitry Novikov. Witkoff is valued in Moscow because he uses less harsh tones than other US representatives. The situation in the conflict is such that mere diplomatic means cannot get the process out of the deadlock.
A US government plane that appeared to be carrying Witkoff and Kushner flew overnight from Moscow to Rzeszów in southeastern Poland. From there, the US envoys are expected to travel by train to Kiev. There was no official information about the exact route of the intermediaries.
The previous talks between Putin and Trump's envoys had also led to direct negotiations between Russians and Ukrainians. In Kiev, Witkoff and Kushner are likely to want to get the process going again so that representatives of the warring parties can sit down at the table again. Russia has now been waging its war of aggression against its neighboring country for more than four and a half years. Ukraine is fighting back with Western help.
Warring parties rely on escalation
Military experts have been talking for weeks about a targeted escalation of violence on both sides of the conflict. For Putin, the complete conquest of the Donbass industrial region in eastern Ukraine remains a declared goal. The Ukrainian armed forces do not want to vacate this rest of the Donetsk region.
Putin has threatened retaliation in response to the Ukrainian attacks in the Russian hinterland on oil refineries and logistics centers of online mail order companies. He gave orders to specifically attack the Ukrainian energy infrastructure. The particularly fast ballistic missiles are also used, which Ukraine can hardly destroy due to the lack of anti-aircraft missiles.
In return, President Zelensky threatened to increase the number of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia from an average of 300 to 1,000 a day. He also warned international airlines that Russian airspace was no longer safe. Putin accuses him of “state terrorism” against civil aviation.
Related topics
Vladimir PutinUkraineRussiaBoris PistoriusDonald Trump
Shortly before the US representatives arrived, Zelensky had accused the Russian military of demonstratively shelling Kiev's Zhuliany and Boryspil airports.
Kiev's defense minister talks to Pistorius about help
Ukraine and its Western allies want to discuss further military aid for the country attacked by Russia at a new meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group next week. This was announced by Ukrainian Defense Minister Yevhenij Khmara after a telephone conversation with his German counterpart Boris Pistorius (SPD). Chmara did not give a date for the meeting in the so-called Ramstein format.
According to his own statements, the minister informed Pistorius about the increased air strikes by Russia with drones and ballistic missiles - and the lack of defensive missiles for Kiev. Ukraine has been demanding more help from Western allies with air defense for months. Protection against Russian attacks has priority, said the minister. In addition, financial support from partners remains crucial for Ukraine's stability.
Published according to the editorial standards of the Handelsblatt. You can find more information in our guidelines.
More on the topic of our partners display
remind.me Take advantage of current low electricity/gas prices before prices rise again
