Putin Holds 3-Hour Talks With Trump Envoys

Russian President Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of talks with U.S. presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin on Sept. 5 as Washington sought to revive negotiations over the war in Ukraine.

Kremlin foreign-policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the discussions were “substantive, constructive and extremely frank,” but did not announce a breakthrough or disclose a settlement agreement.

The meeting produced several concrete signals rather than a peace deal. Ushakov said the U.S. envoys presented “a number of ideas” for a possible settlement, while Putin reiterated Russia’s position that the “root causes” of the conflict must be addressed and said Russian forces were making “real progress” on the battlefield.

Putin Keeps Russia’s Battlefield Position At The Center Of Talks

The Kremlin said Putin told Witkoff and Kushner that Russia remained confident in achieving its objectives in Ukraine and linked any settlement to addressing what Moscow describes as the underlying causes of the conflict. Ushakov did not provide details of the U.S. proposals or indicate that Russia had accepted them.

Putin also acknowledged U.S. President Donald Trump’s continued diplomatic involvement. The Kremlin said the Russian president recognized Trump’s efforts to contribute to a settlement despite the difficulty of the conflict.

The meeting preserved dialogue without resolving the central negotiating gap. Reuters reported that Russia continues to demand territorial concessions from Ukraine and an end to Kyiv’s NATO ambitions, while Ukraine has opposed a settlement requiring it to surrender territory.

Moscow And Kyiv Agree To Limited Pause During Envoys’ Visits

Russia and Ukraine separately agreed to temporarily halt attacks on the two capitals while the U.S. delegation conducted its diplomatic mission. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin ordered Russian forces not to strike Kyiv for three days beginning at midnight on Sept. 5.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after speaking with Witkoff and Kushner that Ukraine was prepared to refrain from strikes on Moscow through Saturday and on Sunday and Monday. Zelenskyy’s office said the discussion with the U.S. envoys focused on maintaining a ceasefire during the diplomatic process.

The arrangement was narrower than a full ceasefire. The Kyiv Independent reported that Ukraine had proposed a broader three-day halt covering front-line fighting, while Putin said Russia had not agreed to that wider proposal.

Witkoff And Kushner Head To Kyiv With No Deal Announced

The U.S. envoys were expected to travel to Kyiv after their Moscow meeting, with Zelenskyy’s office confirming that Witkoff and Kushner were scheduled to continue consultations in Ukraine. Zelenskyy’s office had announced on Sept. 4 that the two envoys would visit Moscow and then Kyiv.

The Kyiv meeting gives Washington a chance to test whether ideas discussed with Putin can be presented to Ukraine without requiring Kyiv to accept terms it has previously rejected. The Kremlin has not publicly disclosed the specific proposals delivered by the U.S. delegation, leaving their compatibility with Ukraine’s negotiating position unresolved.

The talks nevertheless keep a direct U.S.-Russia diplomatic channel active after months of stalled negotiations. The Kremlin‘s description of the meeting as useful and the planned continuation of the mission in Kyiv provide a basis for further discussions, even though no agreement ending the war was announced.