U.S. envoys reach the Kremlin for talks with Vladimir Putin

Two senior US envoys arrived at the Kremlin today for fresh talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as Washington intensifies its latest effort to broker a peace agreement in Ukraine.

Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff traveled to Moscow for the meeting, marking the 10th face-to-face encounter between Mr Witkoff and Mr Putin. Their visit comes immediately after two days of trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi that concluded yesterday with word of another major prisoner exchange in the works, but no public breakthrough on the wider negotiations.

The pair are also scheduled to meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in Dublin later today.

Kirill Dmitriev, Mr Putin’s special envoy, greeted Mr Kushner and Mr Witkoff as they stepped off their plane in wet snow and then accompanied them into central Moscow ahead of the Kremlin discussions with Mr Putin.

The Abu Dhabi meetings this week were the first direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine mediated by the US aimed at ending the war. While Russian and Ukrainian negotiators cited some progress, the US side said substantial gaps remained on key issues, including territory.

For all the public optimism voiced by US President Trump, there has been no indication that either side is preparing to make major compromises.

Kyiv has firmly rejected Mr Putin’s demand that Ukraine surrender the entirety of the eastern Donbas region in exchange for peace. With negotiations stuck over land, US mediators have sought to shift the focus toward postwar security guarantees and reconstruction.

Yesterday, a senior Russian diplomat said Moscow could enter into non-aggression pacts with NATO member states as part of a new European security architecture. Many European politicians, however, say they oppose any debate about Europe’s overall security until there is tangible progress on Ukraine — including a ceasefire.

Jared Kushner confirms he and Steve Witkoff will meet Volodymyr Zelensky in Dublin