High-Stakes Diplomacy in Moscow
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner sat down with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Saturday, September 5, for roughly three hours of talks aimed at advancing a diplomatic resolution to the war in Ukraine, ABC News reported. Officials from the National Security Council, State Department, and Treasury Department accompanied the two envoys.
A White House official said the session produced “substantive plans for next steps,” with formal announcements expected in the coming weeks. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov described the exchange as constructive, exceptionally candid, and conducted in a spirit of trust, adding that Russia offered detailed assessments of conditions on the battlefield.
Ceasefire Proposal on the Table
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian officials had indicated ahead of the visit that Witkoff and Kushner were carrying a ceasefire proposal from Kyiv. Whether the new proposal differs meaningfully from earlier offers remains unclear. Putin’s territorial demands — long considered unacceptable to Ukraine — appear unchanged, complicating any path to agreement.
Putin nonetheless confirmed his intention to continue working with American counterparts toward a political and diplomatic settlement. The envoys, for their part, said they would relay Putin’s positions directly to Ukrainian leadership during follow-up talks scheduled for Sunday in Kyiv.
Gilman Release Acknowledged
The American delegation used the meeting to thank Putin for the release of former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman from Russian custody last month, a gesture that preceded the diplomatic push. Russian investment official Kirill Dmitriev posted farewell photos alongside Witkoff and Kushner on social media, captioning the images “important peacemaking visit.”
Zelenskyy Signals Restraint
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine would refrain from targeting Moscow with drones or missiles during the envoys’ visit, and called on Russia to extend the same restraint when Witkoff and Kushner travel to Kyiv. The gesture was seen as an attempt to create conditions conducive to productive talks.
The war in Ukraine has now stretched beyond four years, and prior rounds of diplomacy have repeatedly stalled over territorial disputes. The U.S. Treasury Department has maintained economic pressure on Russia’s partners throughout the conflict, most recently sanctioning a Turkish bank for alleged ties to Iran.
With the Moscow session concluded and Kyiv talks set for Sunday, the coming weeks will test whether the latest round of shuttle diplomacy can bridge the gap between Russian territorial demands and Ukraine’s conditions for any lasting ceasefire.