President Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Saturday and discussed U.S. ideas for ending the war in Ukraine. The three-hour meeting came as both countries agreed to a short pause in airstrikes to allow the envoys to travel to Kyiv on Sunday.
Putin told Witkoff and Kushner at the start of the meeting that he has full trust in U.S. mediation between Russia and Ukraine. Witkoff thanked Putin for releasing former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman and for agreeing to pause airstrikes against Ukraine while U.S. negotiators visit Kyiv. Putin said the pause will begin at midnight Saturday Moscow time and noted that Ukraine also reduced its strikes.
The envoys are seeking to resume direct talks between Russia and Ukraine after negotiations were suspended six months ago and fighting has escalated ahead of winter. Over the last several days, Russia dramatically increased its drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, including Kyiv and other major cities.
The trip to Kyiv will be the highest-level visit by a U.S. official to Ukraine since President Trump started his second term. If the U.S. government plane carrying Witkoff and Kushner lands in Ukraine on Sunday, it will be the first international flight to land in the country since the war started in February 2022.