Talks Begin in Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin met US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the Kremlin on Saturday for talks aimed at ending more than four years of war in Ukraine, as reported by Dawn and the National Post. In footage aired by Russian state media, Putin told the envoys: "Dear colleagues, I warmly welcome you to Moscow. The situation is, of course, not simple," and asked them to convey his best wishes and words of gratitude to US President Donald Trump, according to Dawn.
Trump earlier said his son-in-law Kushner and business ally Witkoff were bringing "a proposal to end the war," as reported by Dawn and the National Post. The pair were expected to travel on to Kyiv on Sunday after their Moscow talks, marking their first visit to war-torn Kyiv since Trump returned too office last year, according to Dawn.
Ceasefire Vows and Accusations
Both Russia and Ukraine vowed not to strike each other's capitals for three days during the negotiations, as reported by Dawn and the National Post. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media: "From now through the end of Saturday, as well as on Sunday and Monday, Ukraine is ready to refrain from strikes on Moscow," as reported by the National Post.
Zelensky also accused Russia of trying to disrupt the envoys' visit with overnight strikes on Kyiv's two airports, as well as on a civilian target in the Dnipro region that killed five people, as reported by Dawn and the National Post. He said on X: "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," and added there would be "no threats to diplomacy" from the Ukrainian side, as reported by Dawn.
Hours later, Oleksandr Ganzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, said a Russian strike killed four people and wounded five in the southeastern city of Kamianske, as reported by Dawn.
Expectations for Peace
The envoys are expected in Kyiv on Sunday, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP, while US outlet Axios reported they would meet Putin in Moscow on Saturday, as reported by Dawn. Trump told reporters the two negotiators would seek to gauge whether progress was possible towards peace in the conflict, as reported by Dawn. However, when asked whether the plan involved Ukraine ceding territory, Trump would not say, but added: "We have an idea for peace," as reported by Dawn.
Zelensky proposed observing a ceasefire with Russia for the duration of the US envoys' trip, as reported by Dawn. In his evening address, he said: "There will be no airstrikes on our part, and Russia must reciprocally ensure a ceasefire — without its own airstrikes — for the duration needed to conduct these talks," as reported by Dawn.
The talks come amid a broader diplomatic push, with the United States having welcomed the Russian finance minister at a G20 gathering in North Carolina earlier this week, as reported by Dawn. The trip also follows a rare visit to Moscow by CIA director John Ratcliffe more than a week earlier, who warned Russia against any attack on Nato member states, according to US media, as reported by Dawn.