Witkoff, Kushner Meet Putin in Moscow for Three Hours, Carry Trump Proposal to Revive Ukraine Talks

September 5, 2026 — US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin for over three hours, followed by dinner, in the first leg of a renewed shuttle-diplomacy push to end the Ukraine war after roughly eight months of stalled momentum (delayed further by the Iran war). Putin told the envoys 'the situation is, of course, not simple' but said he had 'full trust' in US mediation and that working with them was 'a comfortable experience,' while maintaining Russia's core preconditions — insisting Russia would achieve its military objectives and that the conflict's 'root causes' must be addressed; Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov called the talks 'substantive, very frank and constructive' and said the Americans 'prepared seriously for this trip,' while spokesman Dmitry Peskov cautioned there was 'no talk of new ideas' and that no wider ceasefire was agreed. To enable the envoys' onward travel, Russia agreed to pause aerial strikes on Kyiv for three days from midnight Saturday, while Zelensky said Ukraine would hold off striking Moscow through Monday and called on Russia to reciprocate. Putin asked the envoys to relay his 'best wishes' to Trump; Witkoff and Kushner departed for Kyiv the next day for their first-ever visit to the Ukrainian capital.