Ukraine: US envoys presented Putin with “a number of ideas” to end the war

The Kremlin says US envoys presented Vladimir Putin with “a number of ideas” for ending the war in Ukraine during three hours of talks in Moscow. But Putin himself acknowledged the difficulty of the moment: “The situation is of course not simple.”

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The situation is of course not simple.

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met the Russian president on Saturday carrying a proposal that Donald Trump said was aimed at ending the conflict. Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin adviser, said the American representatives had prepared carefully for the visit. They reaffirmed their interest in a rapid end to hostilities and outlined possible paths toward a settlement.

“The conversation was constructive, extremely frank and marked by trust,” Ushakov told journalists, including AFP. He said the Russian side remained confident that it could achieve the objectives it had set.

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a number of ideas on possible ways toward a settlement

The next stop for the two envoys was expected to be Kyiv on Sunday. Their visit followed Russian strikes on Kyiv’s airports during the night from Friday to Saturday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of trying to disrupt the trip. Ukrainian authorities said the bombardments killed at least seven people, including two in the Bucha district near the capital and five in the Dnipro region.

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The conversation was constructive, extremely frank and marked by trust.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said Putin had ordered a three-day halt to strikes on Kyiv during the envoys’ visit. Zelenskyy had said the previous day that Ukraine would not bomb Russia during the negotiations and urged Moscow to “ensure a reciprocal ceasefire” for “the time necessary to conduct” the talks.

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ensure a reciprocal ceasefire