Russian President Vladimir Putin met behind closed doors at the Kremlin on Saturday with U.S. representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to discuss diplomatic pathways toward resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
The three-hour discussion ended without any announcement of a breakthrough, though Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov characterized the conversation as frank, useful, and constructive.
The U.S. delegation’s arrival in Moscow coincides with a temporary pause in aerial bombardments. Both sides implemented a localized suspension of strikes targeting each other’s capitals for the duration of the visit.
“Putin has ordered that no strikes be carried out against Kyiv for three days, starting at midnight today,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s TASS news agency.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Kyiv would reciprocate the gesture.
“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,” Zelenskyy stated following a conversation with the American delegates upon their arrival in Russia.
The envoys were received at the airport by Russian representative Kirill Dmitriev, who shared photographs of their arrival on social media with the caption, “Welcome to Moscow Peacemakers”.
At the start of the Kremlin session, Putin acknowledged the overall complexity of the ongoing conflict while expressing appreciation for U.S. President Donald Trump’s diplomatic initiatives.
According to Ushakov, Moscow presented an assessment of battlefield developments and discussed bilateral economic relations alongside potential joint projects between the two nations.
Following the Moscow talks, Witkoff and Kushner are scheduled to travel to Kyiv on Sunday for their first official diplomatic mission to the Ukrainian capital.