US Envoys Meet Putin in Moscow as Peace Push Intensifies

US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have begun talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as the Trump administration renews efforts to secure an end to Russia's war in Ukraine.

The meeting, held at the Kremlin on September 5, is the sixth time Witkoff and Kushner have met with Putin, according to Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency.

RIA quoted Putin as saying the three men faced a "difficult situation" as discussions got under way in the Russian capital.

The talks are part of a new diplomatic push by Washington, with Witkoff and Kushner expected to travel to Kyiv on September 6 for meetings with Ukrainian officials.

Ahead of their planned visit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had ordered a temporary suspension of Russian strikes on Kyiv from midnight on September 6 through September 8.

The announcement came after a week of heavy Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, accused Russia of deliberately striking Kyiv's two airports in an effort to complicate the US delegation's planned journey.

Zelenskyy said Russian attacks overnight had targeted Zhulyany and Boryspil airports, describing the strikes as an apparent attempt to create uncertainty around the envoys' visit.

"Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the US side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine," Zelenskyy said on X.

He said Ukraine would not pose a threat to the diplomatic mission and called for both sides to suspend air attacks for the duration of the negotiations.

Trump Says Peace Proposal Is on Table

US President Donald Trump said on September 4 that his representatives were travelling to Moscow with a proposal aimed at ending the conflict.

"I sent them over to see whether or not we can get something done, and there may be a good chance that we'll do it," Trump told reporters at the White House.

Trump did not provide details of the proposal.

The diplomatic effort comes as major differences remain between Moscow and Kyiv. Putin has continued to demand that Russia gain control of the entirety of Donetsk, including areas still held by Ukraine.

The Kremlin has also maintained that Ukraine should surrender its claims to the four regions Russia says it has annexed - Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson - and abandon its ambition to join NATO.

Ukraine has repeatedly rejected surrendering territory and has called for firm security guarantees as part of any peace agreement.

Trump also dismissed growing concerns that Russia could eventually challenge NATO militarily, saying he did not believe Putin intended to attack alliance territory.

"I speak to him. I know him very well. Putin's not looking to attack NATO territory," Trump said.

Russian Attacks Continue Despite Diplomacy

The planned pause in strikes has not prevented continued Russian attacks elsewhere in Ukraine.

Ukrainian authorities said Russian strikes on September 5 killed five people and injured five others at an industrial site in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Two people were also reported wounded in the Kyiv region, while two others were injured in the southern Mykolayiv region.

Ukraine's military said Russia had launched Iskander-M ballistic missiles and at least 167 drones during overnight attacks, with about half of the drones powered by jet engines.

The renewed attacks came despite Zelenskyy's appeal for both countries to halt air strikes temporarily to allow negotiations to proceed.

Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces would ensure that Russian airspace remained safe enough for the US delegation to travel to Moscow and expected Russia to provide reciprocal assurances.

Kyiv Visit Would Be First Since Diplomatic Push

A visit to Kyiv by Witkoff and Kushner would mark their first trip to Ukraine since becoming central figures in the Trump administration's efforts to negotiate an end to the war.

Travelling directly to Kyiv by aircraft would be highly unusual. Ukrainian airspace has remained closed to normal civilian aviation since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, with foreign leaders and senior officials generally travelling to the capital by train.

Security concerns are also significant following a recent Russian drone attack on the headquarters of Ukraine's domestic security service, the SBU, which would have an important role in protecting the American delegation.

Trump has made ending the war a major foreign-policy priority since returning to office in January 2025. However, previous diplomatic efforts have failed to bridge the fundamental differences between Russia and Ukraine.

The latest push follows a period in which negotiations largely stalled amid the wider US-Israeli conflict with Iran.

US intelligence officials have also maintained contacts with their Russian counterparts. CIA Director John Ratcliffe met senior Russian intelligence and security officials in Moscow on August 25, although the Kremlin said he did not meet Putin.