Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with two US envoys for over three hours in Moscow on Saturday. According to a Kremlin aide, the talks were "highly useful" but yielded no breakthrough towards ending the Ukraine war. No specific ideas or proposals were mentioned by the aide, Yuri Ushakov, who said Putin remained confident of achieving Russia's goals and stressed the need to address "all the root causes of the conflict." The envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
US President Donald Trump has announced that his special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, will visit Russia and Ukraine this weekend to try to broker a peace deal between the two countries.
The pair will first meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday before traveling to Kyiv, Ukraine's capital city, on Sunday. Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, has confirmed that he will meet with Witkoff and Kushner during their visit.
Trump says that the US has a new proposal aimed at ending the war, which is now in its fifth year, but did not elaborate on what the plan entails. The trip comes after several failed attempts to negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
The itinerary for Witkoff and Kushner's trip had been in flux, with some sources suggesting that they may only visit Moscow or that their Kyiv stop could be canceled. However, Trump's announcement suggests that the pair will indeed travel to both cities as planned.
Separately, Trump has announced that he wants European countries to pay back the US for military aid and munitions previously sent to Ukraine, saying that "we'll be asking for that money." This move has been criticized by some as an attempt to shift the burden of supporting Ukraine's defense efforts onto Europe.
Written for “US Effort for Ukrainian Peace” on 2026-09-09,
grounded in this article and the 72 other(s) covering the same event.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of “highly useful” talks on Saturday with two US envoys seeking a deal to end the Ukraine war, a Kremlin aide said, but he gave no indication of any breakthrough.
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he → hold → breakthrough
The aide, Yuri Ushakov, said Americans Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner “outlined a number of ideas regarding possible avenues for a settlement.”
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Witkoff → say → settlement
Ushakov did not say what these ideas were.
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ideas → say → ?
He said Putin had told the pair that Russia was making “real progress” on the battlefield and was confident of achieving its goals, while stressing the necessity of addressing “all the root causes of the conflict.”
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Russia → say → conflict
They flew out of Moscow soon after the talks and are due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday.
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They → fly → Sunday
“The talks went beyond a mere exchange of views on resolving the Ukrainian crisis.
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talks → go → crisis
Economic issues and potential major, mutually beneficial Russian-American projects were discussed in some detail,” Ushakov said.
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Ushakov → discuss → detail
“Overall, one can say that the negotiations were timely and highly useful for both sides.”
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negotiations → say → sides
Putin’s investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, posted on X that the meeting had been an “important peacemaking visit.”
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meeting → post → X
The Russian president praised Trump’s efforts to end the war.
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president → praise → war
“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,” Putin said in televised remarks at the start of the talks.
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Putin → understand → talks
Trump suggested on Friday that the US had a fresh proposal aimed at ending the war but did not elaborate.
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US → suggest → war
Putin promised to ensure the safety of the US negotiators.
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Putin → promise → negotiators
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier that Putin had ordered the Russian military not to strike Kyiv for three days because of their trip.
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Putin → say → trip
Start your day with all you need to know
Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.
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Report → start → news
A VAST GULF IN POSITIONS
Over the previous 10 days, Russia pounded the Ukrainian capital day and night with missiles and drones, including an attack on Friday on the headquarters of the SBU security service.
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Russia → pound → service
Ukraine has inflicted damaging hits throughout the summer on Russian refineries, oil terminals and warehouses of online retailer Wildberries, in an attempt to raise the cost to Moscow of continuing the war.
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Ukraine → inflict → war
Zelensky said Kyiv was prepared to refrain from strikes on Moscow through Monday.
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Kyiv → say → Monday
Russia and Ukraine remain far apart on how to end the war, the deadliest in Europe since World War Two.
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Russia → remain → War
A person close to the Kremlin, speaking before reports emerged of the trip by Trump’s envoys, said Putin was still intent on capturing more territory.
“There is no chance of reaching an agreement regarding the front line until Putin finishes securing the remaining part of the Donetsk region,” this person told Reuters, adding that the Kremlin leader was confident — based on reports from his commanders — that this would happen by the end of the year.
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this → speak → year
Western military analysts see such a possibility as remote, given Moscow’s slow rate of progress.
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analysts → see → progress
Ukraine has refused to surrender land it has successfully defended at huge cost, and rejects such terms as tantamount to surrender.
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it → refuse → surrender
The Kremlin said on Friday 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 and abandon its plan to join NATO — was “unshakeable.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes Jared Kushner and US special envoy Steve Witkoff before a meeting at the Kremlin on September 5, 2026. ZUMAPRESS.com
Russian aide, Yuri Ushakov, said Americans Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner "outlined a number of ideas regarding possible avenues for a settlement." ZUMAPRESS.com
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and Steve Witkoff meet at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, on Dec. 15, 2025. AP Photo/Markus Schreiber
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President → say → Schreiber
Firefighters work at the site of a Russian drone strike in the Kyiv region of Ukraine on Sept. 5, 2026.
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Firefighters → work → Sept.
A Ukrainian resident and her daughter sit at the site of an apartment building damaged by a Russian missile strike in Borispil, Ukraine, on Sept. 1, 2026.
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resident → sit → Sept.
