US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for a renewed attempt to revive negotiations over ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, as Washington seeks to break a diplomatic deadlock that has persisted for months.
Putin meeting expected in Moscow
Witkoff and Kushner landed in Moscow on Saturday and were met by Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev. They are expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin before travelling to Kyiv on Sunday for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The mission represents a renewed diplomatic push by US President Donald Trump, who has made ending the war a major foreign-policy objective. Trump said on Friday that the two envoys were carrying a proposal aimed at ending the conflict, although he provided few details about its contents.
Major differences remain
Any breakthrough faces substantial obstacles. The Kremlin has reiterated that its fundamental conditions remain unchanged, including demands concerning Ukrainian territory and future NATO membership.
Kyiv has repeatedly rejected terms that would require it to formally surrender territory occupied or claimed by Russia.
The latest diplomatic initiative follows months in which US-led peace efforts have produced little tangible progress while fighting and long-range attacks have intensified.
Temporary pause in strikes
Putin has ordered a 72-hour pause in Russian strikes on Kyiv around the diplomatic mission. Zelenskyy has also said Ukraine will refrain from airstrikes during the US officials’ visit and has called for reciprocal restraint from Moscow.
The temporary measures come against a backdrop of continued violence elsewhere in Ukraine, including recent Russian missile and drone attacks.
Kyiv becomes the next diplomatic test
Witkoff and Kushner are expected to travel to Kyiv on Sunday, marking their first visit to the Ukrainian capital in their current diplomatic roles.
Their meetings with Putin and Zelenskyy could indicate whether Washington has identified enough common ground to restart substantive negotiations. For now, however, the territorial dispute and the question of Ukraine’s future security arrangements remain formidable barriers to any comprehensive settlement.
Ask NF GPT
If you have an account with ChatGPT you get deeper explanations,
background and context related to what you are reading.
Recent Comments