US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on September 5 to start peace talks aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. They met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior officials for about three hours. Putin described the situation as "indeed very complex" and the talks as candid and constructive [1, 4, 5], while Russian Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said the US envoys came prepared with potential solutions and a clear desire to end hostilities quickly [1].
The day before the envoys’ arrival, Russia launched missile and drone attacks targeting Kyiv’s airports and the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) headquarters. These attacks injured at least seven civilians and damaged government buildings. Four people were reported killed in southeastern Ukraine in related attacks [2, 9, 3, 7]. President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strikes as attempts to undermine the US envoys’ visit and pledged retaliatory responses [9, 7]. Zelensky noted that these airport attacks appeared aimed at disrupting possible US air travel to Ukraine [7].
Following the Moscow meetings, the US envoys planned to travel to Kyiv on September 6 or 7 to meet Zelensky [1, 10, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8]. Russia agreed to a three-day pause on attacks against Kyiv starting at midnight September 6 to allow the envoys’ visit [1, 10, 4, 8]. Ukraine also sharply reduced its attacks on Russian territory and proposed a broader three-day ceasefire, but Moscow did not accept that offer [1, 4]. Zelensky confirmed he communicated with the US envoys and promised to suspend airstrikes on Moscow and other cities during negotiations, saying, "From this call onward, we are ready to impose an airstrike suspension on cities involved in the negotiation process" [1, 10, 6, 7].
Former US President Donald Trump said the envoys brought a plan to end the war but did not reveal details, including whether it involved Ukraine ceding territory to Russia. He called Witkoff and Kushner "excellent negotiators" and said there was a significant chance of success [2, 11, 3, 6, 7].
Russian officials remain skeptical about the talks, stating Moscow would only consider a ceasefire on its own terms [2, 5]. White House officials confirmed substantive discussions occurred with Putin and said further announcements would come in the coming weeks [12].
The envoys’ visit to Kyiv is expected soon. Their meetings and the three-day ceasefire offer set the stage for potential new negotiations.
