Putin Holds ‘Highly Useful’ Ukraine Peace Talks With Trump Envoys

Russian President Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of talks with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Saturday as Washington renewed efforts to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war.

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov described the discussions as “highly useful,” saying the U.S. representatives presented several ideas for potential paths toward a settlement. However, neither Moscow nor Washington announced a breakthrough.

According to Ushakov, Putin told the American delegation that Russian forces were making “real progress” on the battlefield and remained confident about achieving Moscow’s objectives. The Russian leader also reiterated that any peace agreement must address what the Kremlin calls the “root causes” of the conflict.

A White House official characterized the meeting as “substantive” and said further steps would be announced in the coming weeks. Witkoff and Kushner left Moscow following the talks and are scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Sunday.

The negotiations also covered potential economic cooperation between Russia and the United States. Ushakov said both sides discussed major projects that could provide mutual economic benefits.

Putin praised U.S. President Donald Trump for continuing diplomatic efforts despite the difficulty of reaching an agreement. Trump said Friday that Washington had developed a new proposal aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war but provided no details.

Diplomatic activity comes as Russia and Ukraine continue exchanging long-range attacks. Putin ordered Russian forces to avoid striking Kyiv for three days during the U.S. envoys’ visit, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Zelenskiy said Ukraine was prepared to refrain from attacking Moscow through Monday.

Despite renewed Ukraine peace talks, major differences remain. Russia continues to demand that Ukraine relinquish the entirety of four regions claimed by Moscow and abandon its ambition to join NATO. Kyiv rejects those conditions.

A person close to the Kremlin said Putin remains determined to capture additional territory, particularly the remaining Ukrainian-controlled areas of the Donetsk region. Western military analysts, however, question whether Russia can achieve that objective by year-end given the slow pace of its battlefield advances.