Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera
· collected 2026-09-05 · by Al Jazeera Staff
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to discuss Washington's proposal to end the war in Ukraine, which has lasted over four years. The talks took place at the Kremlin on Saturday and were followed by a joint statement pledging not to strike each other's capitals for three days. According to reports, previous trips by Witkoff and Kushner have not led to progress, but this time around there are some "more or less optimistic" signs from the Kremlin regarding the discussions. Russia has maintained control of most of eastern Ukraine since its invasion in 2022.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-05,
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has met envoys from the United States to discuss Washington’s proposal to end more than four years of Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
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Putin → meet → Ukraine
Putin met Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin on Saturday after the two arrived in Moscow earlier in the day.
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two → meet → day
The envoys are expected in the Ukrainian capital on Sunday.
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envoys → expect → Sunday
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Putin welcomed the two in a ceremony aired on Russian television, telling them: “The situation is, of course, not simple.”
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situation → travel → course
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that Kushner, his son-in-law, and Witkoff, his special envoy and business ally, were bringing “a proposal to end the war”.
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Kushner → say → war
Following three hours of talks, senior Russian official Kirill Dmitriev, who was also part of the meetings, said the envoys’ trip to Moscow was an “important peacemaking visit”.
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trip → follow → Moscow
Russia and Ukraine both pledged not to strike each other’s capitals for three days during the negotiations, as Washington tries to revive talks to end Europe’s worst conflict since World War II.
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Washington → pledge → II
Witkoff told Putin that Trump had sent his best wishes and thanked him for the limited ceasefire during the delegation’s visit.
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Trump → tell → visit
The Russian president also conveyed gratitude to Trump and said Moscow would do its utmost to ensure the safety of the mediators.
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Moscow → convey → mediators
During the talks, Al Jazeera’s Yulia Shapovalova, reporting from Moscow, said there were “some more or less optimistic reports” from the Kremlin regarding the progress of the discussions.
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Shapovalova → report → discussions
On the one hand, Putin says he “remains publicly open to peace talks”, said Shapovalova.
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Shapovalova → say → talks
But on the other, “following all of Ukraine’s escalating drone operations deep inside Russia and the targeting of major economic and logistics hubs like oil infrastructure and online retailers”, he maintains that he will not make any concessions on any key issues, that major differences remain in place, and that he will not negotiate with “terrorists”.
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he → follow → terrorists
Some analysts say that “expectation in the Kremlin for this particular visit of the US envoys is actually less pessimistic, because previous trips by Witkoff and Kushner have not led to any progress, and Putin believes that Russia holds a military advantage on the battlefield”, Shapovalova added.
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Shapovalova → say → battlefield
‘Refrain from strikes’
The talks come as the grinding war – which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 – has seen increasing civilian deaths and attacks in the past few months.
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which → refrain → months
After seizing and occupying a majority of eastern Ukraine, Putin has repeatedly said that Moscow intends to take the rest of it.
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Moscow → seize → it
Russian strikes on Ukraine on Saturday killed at least seven people, including in the Kyiv suburbs, Ukrainian officials said.
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officials → kill → suburbs
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Belgorod region killed one person and injured another, according to local authorities.
uncertain
attack → kill → authorities
The Kremlin said it would not strike Kyiv from midnight on Saturday, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would halt strikes on Moscow “from now” until Monday.
“The Russian president, the commander-in-chief, has given the order from midnight tonight not to strike Kyiv for three days,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
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Peskov → say → days
Zelenskyy – who had offered a truce during the US visits – later said he had spoken to the US envoys and also promised Kyiv would not strike Moscow.
“From now through the end of Saturday, as well as on Sunday and Monday, Ukraine is ready to refrain from strikes on Moscow,” Zelenskyy said on social media.
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Zelenskyy → offer → media
The Ukrainian leader said he expected the US officials in Kyiv on Sunday.
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he → say → Sunday
It will be Witkoff and Kushner’s first visit to Kyiv since Trump returned to office last year with a pledge to resolve the conflict.
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Trump → return → conflict
Al Jazeera’s Audrey MacAlpine, reporting from Kyiv, said the US envoys’ visit to Ukraine is being viewed as a “milestone” in the country.
However, the visit is seen as more ceremonial than one “going to lead to any real concrete results, though, of course, we still have to wait for the outcome of these meetings”, she said.
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she → report → meetings
Many people in Ukraine believe that “foreign diplomats need to come here to fully understand the scope of the war, so this is very important to Ukrainian officials to have these representatives from the US here tomorrow”, Macalpine added.
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Macalpine → believe → US
