Russian President Vladimir Putin held roughly three hours of closed-door talks with US President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin on Saturday, with Moscow describing the meeting as substantive and constructive.
Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Moscow as part of a diplomatic push aimed at finding a settlement to the Ukraine conflict. Trump had earlier said the pair were carrying a proposal intended to help end the war, with the envoys expected to travel to Kiev following their Russian visit.
Presidential aide Yury Ushakov and Russian Direct Investment Fund chief Kirill Dmitriev also participated in the meeting. Before discussions moved behind closed doors, Putin thanked Trump for continuing efforts to seek a resolution despite what he described as the complexity of the conflict.
Putin said Moscow was prepared to discuss every aspect of the crisis and present its assessment of the situation.
Witkoff also passed on thanks from the family of former US Marine Robert Gilman, who was released by Russia last month on humanitarian grounds after being imprisoned since 2022. Putin responded that the family’s gratitude should be directed towards Trump, saying the US president had personally requested Gilman’s release.
The Russian leader also reaffirmed a three-day suspension of Russian strikes on Kiev beginning at midnight on September 5, saying the measure was intended to allow the American delegation to travel safely to the Ukrainian capital.
Putin noted that Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory, including Moscow, had also fallen sharply. However, he stressed that Moscow had not agreed to Kiev’s call for a broader three-day ceasefire.
Following the meeting, Witkoff and Kushner travelled directly to Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport, where Dmitriev saw them off and characterised their mission as an important peace initiative.
Ushakov later described the negotiations as “substantive, constructive” and conducted with considerable candour and mutual trust.
According to the Kremlin aide, Moscow reiterated that its objectives in the Ukraine conflict would be achieved and insisted that any lasting settlement would have to address what Russia considers the underlying causes of the confrontation.
Ushakov said Putin also raised Ukraine’s decision to rebury historical Ukrainian nationalist figures Andrey Melnik and Evgeny Konovalets as part of a proposed national pantheon, an issue the Russian side said the American delegation took particular note of.
The discussions extended beyond Ukraine. Ushakov said Russian and US officials also examined economic cooperation and the possibility of pursuing major projects that could benefit both countries.
Important peacemaking visit. 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/r5UQhjeMxE
— Kirill Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) September 5, 2026
