Kremlin calls Ukraine talks with US envoys useful, but signals no breakthrough

The Kremlin described more than three hours of talks between Vladimir Putin and two US envoys as “highly useful,” but offered no sign that the meeting had produced a breakthrough in efforts to end the Ukraine war.

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outlined a number of ideas regarding possible avenues for a settlement

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had outlined “a number of ideas regarding possible avenues for a settlement.” He did not disclose what those ideas were. Ushakov said Putin told the envoys that Russia was making “real progress” on the battlefield and remained confident it would achieve its goals. The Russian president also stressed the need to address “all the root causes of the conflict.”

Moscow has repeatedly used that language since Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The two sides have intensified long-range air strikes in recent weeks, even as the front lines have remained largely static. A White House official described the talks as “substantive” and said the next steps would be announced in the coming weeks.

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real progress

After leaving Moscow, Witkoff and Kushner traveled by train to Kyiv, where they met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “Talks with Kyiv were ‘substantive’ and will continue ‘as long as it takes’,” Witkoff said after the meeting. Zelensky said the first round of talks between Ukraine and US negotiators had concluded. Putin had promised to ensure the envoys’ safety, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian military had been ordered not to strike Kyiv for three days during their visit.

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Talks with Kyiv were ‘substantive’ and will continue ‘as long as it takes’

The diplomatic contacts unfolded alongside continued attacks. Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in Ryazan and targeted other Russian cities overnight, according to monitoring channels and authorities. Russian air defenses were activated in Bataysk, near Rostov-on-Don. Russia had spent the previous 10 days striking Kyiv day and night, including an attack on the headquarters of Ukraine’s SBU security service. Putin praised US President Donald Trump’s efforts, saying Trump had continued trying to help settle the conflict despite entering “a difficult situation.”

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Understanding that he is entering a difficult situation, he nevertheless does not stop his efforts to help bring about a settlement and to make his contribution to resolving the Russian-Ukrainian conflict