US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner hold peace talks with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Talks at the Kremlin

On Saturday, 5 September 2026, United States special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow for their first visit to the Russian capital since January. The meeting began after a seven-hour delay during which Putin inaugurated a Moscow metro line, opened a Siberian oil terminal and pipeline via videoconference, and held discussions with United Russia candidates ahead of parliamentary elections. The closed-door negotiations lasted over three hours, with presidential foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov and investment representative Kirill Dmitriev also participating in the room. Kremlin officials stated that the talks covered potential peace settlement frameworks alongside bilateral economic issues and joint business projects. Ushakov noted that the Russian delegation presented a review of its front-line military operations and insisted on resolving the fundamental causes of the conflict.

Capital strike pause and pre-talk attacks

Before the diplomatic meetings commenced, Russian bombardments struck several Ukrainian targets overnight between Friday and Saturday, killing at least seven people. Ukrainian officials confirmed five fatalities in the Dnipro region and two deaths in the Bucha district near Kyiv, while air strikes also targeted airports around the capital. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the strikes were intended to disrupt the diplomatic mission. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Putin ordered a three-day halt to strikes on Kyiv during the envoys' visit, while Ukraine agreed not to strike Moscow during the talks. However, Moscow rejected a broader three-day nationwide ceasefire proposal requested by Ukrainian authorities, keeping active fighting underway along the front lines.

Consultations in Kyiv

Following the Moscow talks, Witkoff and Kushner travelled by train from Poland into Ukraine on Sunday, 6 September 2026, marking their first visit to Kyiv. The American delegation presented the White House peace proposals and communicated Moscow's positions during meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his negotiating team. Later on Sunday, the envoys met with European security advisers, including Jonathan Powell of the United Kingdom, Günter Sautter of Germany, and Emmanuel Bonne of France. Witkoff described the discussions with the Ukrainian government as significant and stated that negotiations would continue for as long as needed.

Both sides will have to make compromises and narrow their differences of opinion, and we believe we have the elements needed to achieve this.

Diplomatic positions and winter outlook

At a joint press conference in Kyiv, President Zelenskyy assessed the discussions as positive but stated that Russian military operations appear likely to extend through the coming winter. Zelenskyy maintained his stance that territorial disputes and core terms must be settled directly at a trilateral summit of heads of state, a format Moscow has not accepted. Kushner stated that the trip had opened new pathways for progress and provided valuable insights for future negotiations. The White House announced that substantive plans outlining the next diplomatic steps would be released in the coming weeks.

We sincerely hope to reach agreements with our American partners and count on the support of our European partners, should the war continue through the winter, which seems to be the case right now.