US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are heading to Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after a lengthy meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow produced no apparent breakthrough towards ending the war. The diplomatic push comes as fighting and aerial attacks continue despite limited pauses around the negotiations.
Three hours of talks with Putin
Witkoff and Kushner met Putin at the Kremlin on Saturday for discussions lasting more than three hours. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov described the meeting as substantive and constructive and said the American delegation had presented several ideas for a possible settlement.
However, Moscow gave no indication that Putin had softened Russia’s fundamental demands. Russia continues to insist that any settlement must address what the Kremlin describes as the “root causes” of the conflict, including Ukraine’s ambitions to join NATO.
Washington takes its proposal to Kyiv
The US delegation is expected to meet Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Sunday as Washington attempts to restart negotiations aimed at ending a war now in its fifth year.
The White House said substantive plans for possible next steps had been discussed in Moscow, although details of the American proposals have not been made public.
The central challenge remains the enormous distance between the Russian and Ukrainian positions. Moscow continues to demand control over Ukrainian territory, while Kyiv has repeatedly rejected a peace settlement requiring it to surrender land occupied by Russia.
Limited pause offers diplomatic window
Putin has ordered Russian forces to halt strikes on Kyiv for three days during the diplomatic initiative. Ukraine has separately said it is prepared to refrain from attacks on Moscow through Monday.
The arrangement does not constitute a comprehensive ceasefire. Russian attacks elsewhere in Ukraine have continued, including strikes in the Dnipropetrovsk region that killed civilians.
The latest diplomatic initiative therefore represents an opening rather than a breakthrough.
Much now depends on the meetings in Kyiv. Washington will have to determine whether there is sufficient common ground between Moscow and Kyiv to move towards substantive negotiations – or whether the latest peace effort will encounter the same territorial and security disputes that have frustrated previous attempts to end the war.
Newshub Editorial in Europe – 6 September 2026
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