Witkoff, Kushner meet with Putin to discuss Ukraine war
Ukraine officials said they would not target Moscow during the visit.
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for three hours Saturday about the war with Ukraine, according to the Kremlin.
Kremlin aid Yuri Ushakov described the discussion as "substantive, constructive, exceptionally candid, and conducted in a spirit of trust," in a statement after the talks ended.
"The Russian side provided clear and comprehensive assessments of the situation developing during the special military operation," he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, as U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff stands nearby during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, September 5, 2026.
Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via REUTERS
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian officials have indicated that Witkoff and Kushner were coming with a ceasefire proposal once again from Ukraine.
It's unclear if the new proposal substantially differs from what has previously been offered. Putin has recently signaled his demands for territory in Ukraine remain unchanged, which remain unacceptable for Kyiv.
Witkoff and Kushner are scheduled to hold talks with Ukrainian officials Sunday.
The statement from the Kremlin aide about Saturday's talks stated: "Our president confirmed his intention to continue working jointly with the Americans to seek political and diplomatic solutions. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner promised to use, during tomorrow’s contacts in Kyiv, the observations and assessments they had received personally from the President of Russia concerning the path toward a lasting peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine."
U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, right, speaks accompanied by Jared Kushner during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin at the Senate Palace of the Kremlin in Moscow, on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026.
Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would not target Moscow with drones and missiles during the U.S. envoys' visit this weekend and has urged Russia to reciprocate when Witkoff and Kushner are due to travel to Kyiv.
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin (2nd L), Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov (L) and Russia's presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev (4th L) attend a meeting with US special envoy Steve Witkoff (R) and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner (2nd R) in Moscow on September 5, 2026. Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on September 5, 2026 for talks on ending more than four years of war in Ukraine
Photo by Mikhail METZEL / POOL / AFP via Getty Images
Before the meeting Putin expressed his "best wishes and words of gratitude to the President of the United States, Mr. Trump," according to video posted by the Kremlin.
Putin described the "difficult" situation that he and the U.S. envoys would have to address during the negotiations.
Following the meeting Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president's special representative for investment and economic cooperation, posted what appeared to be farewell photos on social media showing himself alongside Witkoff and Kushner in front of a U.S. government plane, with the caption: "important peacemaking visit."
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