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Moscow talks, Kyiv next
US President Donald Trump’s top negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as efforts to end the war in Ukraine gather pace.
“Russian President Vladimir Putin met U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the Kremlin on Saturday”
Putin told the envoys that the situation in Ukraine is "difficult" and said the current situation "is not so easy," while Kremlin footage showed Witkoff and Kushner being greeted by Putin in his official residence.
The talks were scheduled to be followed by travel to Kyiv on Sunday, where Zelensky said the plan for diplomatic engagements involving the US team had been approved and that Ukraine was ready to refrain from strikes on Moscow through Monday.
Zelensky also said Russia had fired "demonstrative" strikes on airports in Kyiv and Boryspil overnight ahead of his planned meeting with the US envoys.
Russian state media reported that Putin had ordered a halt to strikes on Kyiv for three days due to the US visit, while the envoys’ Moscow-to-Kyiv travel remained unclear because Ukraine’s airspace has been closed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ceasefire promises and strikes
The Kremlin said Putin had ordered that no strikes be carried out against Kyiv for three days starting at midnight, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmirty Peskov telling state media the pause was linked to the peace negotiations led by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Zelensky committed to pausing airstrikes for the talks and said, "From now through the end of Saturday, as well as on Sunday and Monday, Ukraine is ready to refrain from strikes on Moscow, and we expect the Russians to do the same regarding Kyiv."
Despite the pause, a Russian drone hit the headquarters of Ukraine's domestic security service (SBU) in Kyiv on Friday, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the strike "a major escalation" of the war.
Zelensky said he ordered "an appropriate, tangible response and, where possible, one that mirrors this strike," while the Kremlin said the suspension of strikes on Kyiv would begin at midnight local time and apply only to the capital rather than the rest of the country.
In Moscow, Putin told the US officials that "The situation we need to work through today is, of course, not a simple one," as the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the three-day suspension was connected with the Americans’ contacts in Kyiv.
What’s at stake next
As the envoys’ visit unfolded, the Kremlin’s position remained tied to Ukraine’s territory and security, with Dmitri S. Peskov praising "the good will of the Americans" while saying Russia would continue to insist that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions before any cease-fire could occur.
“Mr. Peskov said Russia would continue to insist that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions”
Reuters reported that a source close to the Kremlin said Putin was still intent on capturing more territory and that there was "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 it would happen by the end of the year.
The talks also came as both sides intensified long-range air attacks, with Reuters noting that since the last peace talks in February each side had intensified long-range air attacks deep inside the other's territory while the front lines remained largely static.
In Kyiv, Zelensky said the airport strikes were a reaction to preparations for the US side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine and land at Kyiv Airport or Boryspil Airport, and he said he would guarantee the safety of Russian airspace during the envoys’ visit and called for Russia to do the same for Ukraine.
With the war described as the deadliest in Europe since World War Two and the US-led peace effort still facing key disagreements on territory and security guarantees, the next step hinged on whether Russia and Ukraine would accept the temporary restraint on strikes while the envoys sought to revive negotiations in Kyiv.