Putin Meets US Envoys at the Kremlin, Seeking a New Path to End the Ukraine War

On Saturday, the Kremlin’s grand halls echoed with a conversation that hasn’t happened in months. Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed two American emissaries—Jared Kushner, the former senior adviser, and Steve Witkoff, a veteran diplomat—to discuss, once again, how to bring an end to the brutal war in Ukraine.

The three of them talked for more than three hours, behind closed doors, while fighter jets and drones continued to buzz over the front lines. It was a tense, almost theatrical moment: Putin, ever the careful showman, asked Kushner to convey his “warm wishes” to former President Donald Trump, and then described the Ukrainian conflict as “not simple.”

Both Moscow and Kyiv agreed, at least on paper, to pause attacks on each other’s capitals for the duration of the meeting. Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state news agency Tass that “no strikes will be carried out against Kyiv for three days, starting at midnight,” while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Ukraine would hold fire on Moscow through Sunday and Monday.

The timing of the talks is curious. Washington’s attention has been largely diverted to the escalating war with Iran, leaving the Ukraine peace process in a kind of limbo. The last time these U.S. envoys visited Moscow was in January, when they also sat across from Putin. This Saturday marks their first trip to Kyiv in the current round of negotiations, a move Ukrainian officials say is meant to demonstrate goodwill.

When the delegation landed in Moscow, they were greeted by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who posted a picture on social media with the caption, “Welcome to Moscow Peacemakers.” The gesture was more theatrical than substantive, but it at least signaled a willingness to talk—if not to act.

Meanwhile, on the ground, the war shows no signs of slowing. Russian forces launched a fresh wave of drone strikes, hitting the SBU headquarters in Kyiv, while Ukrainian missiles pounded Russian military installations, oil refineries, and even e‑commerce hubs. The daily wail of air‑raid sirens has become an unwanted soundtrack for residents of both capitals.

Zelenskyy, in a social‑media post, suggested the Russian attacks on Kyiv’s airports were a direct response to the upcoming U.S. visit. “Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the U.S. side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine,” he wrote, adding that Ukraine would adjust its operations accordingly.

Casualties continue to mount. In the Dnipropetrovsk region, a missile strike on an industrial plant killed five civilian workers—a locksmith, an electrician, a plumber, a machinist, and another unknown—and wounded five more. Similar attacks in the Nikopol district and Kharkiv region claimed additional lives, underscoring the grim human cost of the stalemate.

As the envoys prepare to head to Kyiv on Sunday, the world watches with cautious optimism. Whether three hours of dialogue can translate into concrete steps toward a cease‑fire—or merely become another footnote in a long‑running conflict—remains to be seen.