Diplomatic Efforts Intensify: US Envoy Holds Moscow Meeting With Putin
MOSCOW : A meeting between U.S. Special Envoy Steven Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin has begun in Moscow as the United States steps up diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin announced Thursday.
Russian state media reported that President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev, and Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov were also present at the talks.
The Moscow session follows a meeting in Davos, Switzerland, earlier Thursday between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump described the discussion as “very good,” signaling momentum toward a resolution. Zelenskyy also called the talks “good” and said trilateral meetings between U.S., Russian, and Ukrainian delegations are scheduled in the United Arab Emirates on Friday and Saturday.
Witkoff said his discussions in Davos with Ukrainian negotiators were productive. Earlier in the week, Witkoff and Kushner met with Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and economic envoy, who has played a central role in efforts to broker an end to the conflict.
This marks a continuation of direct U.S. engagement, following a five-hour Kremlin meeting between Witkoff, Kushner, and Putin in December, as Washington seeks to mediate an end to the nearly four-year conflict.
