Putin Hosts US Envoys in Moscow to Discuss Trump’s Proposal to End Ukraine War

Moscow and Kyiv have agreed to a three-day moratorium on strikes targeting each other’s capitals as high-stakes US-mediated peace talks get underway.

Published On 5 Sep 20265 Sep 2026

Russian President Vladimir Putin has initiated high-level discussions with United States envoys regarding a potential pathway to end the prolonged conflict in Ukraine, ahead of their scheduled first visit to Kyiv on Sunday.

The Russian leader met with Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and close business associate, at the Kremlin on Saturday.

“Dear colleagues, I warmly welcome you to Moscow. The situation is, of course, not simple,” Putin told the delegation in a grand Kremlin hall, as broadcast by Russian state television.

As Washington intensifies efforts to revive US-led diplomatic talks to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II, both Moscow and Kyiv have pledged to refrain from targeting each other’s capital cities for a three-day period during the negotiations.

President Trump announced earlier that Kushner and Witkoff were carrying “a proposal to end the war” to the region.

In his remarks to the American envoys, Putin stated: “I would like to ask everyone to convey their best wishes and words of gratitude to US President Mr. Trump.”

Witkoff expressed that Trump had sent his best wishes to the Russian leader and thanked him for the limited ceasefire arranged during the delegation’s visit. Putin assured the mediators that Russia would do its utmost to ensure their safety during the mission.

‘Refrain from strikes’

The diplomatic talks unfold against the backdrop of a grueling conflict that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, which has seen escalating civilian casualties and devastating attacks throughout the summer.

Putin has consistently reiterated Moscow’s intention to secure control over the remainder of eastern Ukraine.

On Saturday, Russian airstrikes across Ukraine resulted in the deaths of at least seven people, including in the suburbs of Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

The Kremlin announced that it would refrain from striking Kyiv starting midnight on Saturday, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that Kyiv 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 stated.

Zelensky, who had proposed a truce ahead of the US visits, later confirmed that he had spoken directly with the American envoys and promised that Ukraine would likewise refrain from striking Moscow.

“From now through the end of Saturday, as well as on Sunday and Monday, Ukraine is ready to refrain from strikes on Moscow,” Zelensky announced on social media.

The Ukrainian leader stated that he had spoken with the US officials and anticipated their arrival in Kyiv on Sunday.

This visit marks the first time that Witkoff and Kushner have traveled to Kyiv since President Trump returned to office last year with a pledge to swiftly resolve the ongoing conflict.

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