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Envoys to Moscow, Kyiv
Russian authorities lowered expectations for concrete progress toward ending the war in Ukraine before Donald Trump’s envoys meet in Moscow and then travel to Kyiv this weekend, with Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov saying, "Por ahora, lamentablemente, no existen condiciones concretas."
“Por ahora, lamentablemente, no existen condiciones concretas.”
Peskov said there would be no direct contacts with Kyiv before the visit, and he added that Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory would need to stop before the Americans arrive, as happened during the visit of CIA Director John Ratcliffe to Moscow a week earlier.
U.S. officials told Axios that envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are due to leave Friday, meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Saturday, and then travel to Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday.
Reuters reported that plans for the trip were not finalized because of U.S. security concerns, and that Washington was seeking commitments from both sides to ensure the safety of the two negotiators before they could travel to Moscow on Saturday and Kyiv on Sunday.
Safety demands and deadlock
Reuters said a source told the agency that the U.S. was seeking commitments that Ukraine would not strike Moscow and Russia would not attack Kyiv during the envoys’ trip, with terms for such an agreement under discussion.
When Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked whether a Witkoff-Kushner visit to Moscow would require an agreement by Ukraine not to do anything that would pose a danger during their visit, he replied, "No, there won't be."
The New York Times said the United States was insisting that Ukrainians temporarily cease their drone attacks on Moscow and the country’s energy facilities while the two men are in Russia, and that the Russians similarly stop their missile attacks on Kyiv.
The Guardian reported that Zelenskyy said preliminary dates had been set for the visit, and Zelenskyy told viewers, "We expect to see representatives of the US president here in Kyiv."
What’s at stake next
Reuters described a vast gulf between Russia and Ukraine on how to end the 4-1/2-year-old war, saying Peskov called Putin’s position—Ukraine ceding the entire territory of four regions claimed by Russia and abandoning its plan to join NATO—"unshakeable."
“Peskov said the position that Putin set out in a speech two years ago - that Ukraine should cede the entire territory of four regions claimed by Russia”
Reuters also quoted a source close to the Kremlin saying, "There is no chance of reaching an agreement regarding the front line until Putin finishes securing the remaining part of the Donetsk region," adding that the Kremlin leader was confident this would happen by the end of the year.
The Guardian said Putin told an economic forum that there was a chance for a diplomatic settlement, saying, "Ultimately, however, the problem must be resolved by the countries involved in the conflict – Russia and Ukraine," and it also reported Trump told GB News, "I just want to see that end. I think we’ll get it."
In parallel, Reuters reported that a Russian attack struck the headquarters of Ukraine's SBU security service in Kyiv on Friday, sending smoke rising over the city in the 10th day of strikes on the capital, underscoring the security and operational pressures around any attempt to revive talks.