Approximately 11 days following CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s unexpected trip to Moscow, where he proposed a trilateral summit involving President Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday morning.
As per Russian media outlet RT, “Dmitriev was engrossed in a discussion with Witkoff and Kushner as they set foot on Russian soil for crucial Ukraine discussions,” with accompanying footage of the US delegation’s arrival.
Dmitriev deep in conversation with Witkoff and Kushner as they step onto Russian soil for key Ukraine talks https://t.co/eC8u8gbJVe pic.twitter.com/DIksgrUj54
— RTRussia (@RT_Russia_) September 5, 2026
According to Russian outlet Sputnik, Putin had called for a three-day pause in strikes on Kiev at the same time as Witkoff and Kushner’s arrival in Russia for peace talks.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov mentioned:
- The temporary cessation of strikes on Kyiv is connected to the preparations for meetings with American negotiators.
- The Russian president is set to meet US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin later on Saturday.
Putin orders halt to strikes on Kiev for three days, starting from midnight today – Kremlin
Other statements by Dmitry Peskov:
🔸The pause in strikes on Kiev is linked to the preparation and holding of meetings with American negotiators there
🔸The Russian president will meet… pic.twitter.com/MJ0g4pWizr
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) September 5, 2026
Witkoff and Kushner are scheduled to meet with Putin before heading to Kyiv on Sunday, marking their first visit to Ukraine since the conflict began.
Bloomberg states that prospects for a breakthrough peace agreement to end the war are not high.
The Kremlin indicated that there were “no discussions of new concepts,” while affirming Moscow’s negotiating stance as “unyielding.” Russia persists in demanding that Kiev cede the entirety of four regions claimed by Moscow and forsake its NATO aspirations, terms that Kiev refuses.
This diplomatic effort unfolds amidst escalating hostilities from both sides around the Black Sea, heightening the risk of a global food crisis next year. Simultaneously, Ukrainian assaults on Russian energy infrastructure, coupled with disrupted flows from the Persian Gulf, are propelling the global refined-products market towards a crisis, fostering dual threats to food and energy security.
The visit signifies a growing endeavor by the Trump administration to revive high-level dialogue channels ahead of the US midterm elections and bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict after over four years of costly combat.