U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held more than three hours of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Sept. 5, as Washington intensified diplomatic efforts to revive negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

The closed-door meeting at the Kremlin lasted more than three hours and ended close to midnight, according to Russian officials and international media reports. The envoys left the Kremlin at around 11 p.m. local time, with no immediate breakthrough announced following the discussions.

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov described the talks as “substantive, constructive and extremely frank,” but provided few details about whether the meeting had produced progress toward a potential peace agreement. Russian officials said the discussions included possible next steps as well as broader economic issues and potential future Russian-American projects.

Putin: Situation Remains Difficult

Putin met Witkoff and Kushner at the Kremlin at around 8 p.m. local time. Welcoming the U.S. representatives, he acknowledged that the situation surrounding the war remained difficult and said Moscow expected the talks to address what Russia considers the underlying causes of the conflict.

Putin also expressed appreciation for U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to promote negotiations and said Russia remained committed to achieving its stated objectives.

The Kremlin has continued to insist that any settlement must address Russia’s territorial and security demands. Moscow has previously demanded Ukrainian withdrawal from territories it claims and has opposed Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO. Kyiv, meanwhile, has rejected territorial concessions as a basis for peace.

Limited Pause in Strikes

The Moscow talks coincided with a temporary reduction in long-range attacks targeting the two countries’ capitals.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin had ordered Russian forces to refrain from striking Kyiv for 72 hours beginning at midnight. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy subsequently said Ukraine would also refrain from strikes on Moscow during the period surrounding the U.S. delegation’s visit.

However, the pause does not amount to a broader ceasefire. Ukraine had proposed a wider three-day halt covering fighting along the front line, but Putin said Russia had not accepted that proposal.

Despite the diplomatic contacts, Russian attacks continued elsewhere in Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities reported multiple strikes that killed civilians and wounded others during the envoys’ visit. International reports said at least seven people had been killed and dozens wounded in Russian attacks over the preceding 24-hour period.

U.S. Delegation Heads to Kyiv

Following their Moscow meetings, Witkoff and Kushner are expected to travel to Kyiv on Sept. 6 for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The planned Kyiv visit is particularly significant because it represents the first reported visit to the Ukrainian capital by the two envoys during their current diplomatic mission. Their trip is intended to give Washington an opportunity to hear directly from both Moscow and Kyiv as it attempts to narrow the substantial differences between the two sides.

U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated that his envoys are carrying proposals intended to help end the war. However, major obstacles remain, particularly over territory, security guarantees and Ukraine’s future relationship with NATO.

Major Differences Remain

The latest diplomatic push comes after months of stalled negotiations and intensified military activity. Russia and Ukraine remain far apart over the terms of any potential settlement, while both sides have continued long-range strikes against military and strategic targets.

Russia has maintained demands concerning Ukrainian territory and NATO, while Kyiv has continued to insist on preserving its territorial integrity and obtaining credible security guarantees.

The Kremlin's characterization of the Moscow meeting as constructive offers some room for diplomatic engagement, but the absence of an announced breakthrough underscores the scale of the remaining disagreements.

With Witkoff and Kushner now heading toward Kyiv, Washington's next challenge will be determining whether the positions expressed in Moscow can be reconciled with Ukraine's demands and translated into a broader ceasefire or a framework for lasting peace.

For now, the temporary pause around the two capitals has created a narrow diplomatic window—but the fighting, territorial disputes and fundamental security disagreements that have prolonged the war remain unresolved. (ILKHA)