RismadarVoice Reporters
September 6, 2026
Russian President Vladimir Putin has held more than three hours of talks with United States special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as Washington intensifies efforts to broker an end to the war in Ukraine.
The meeting took place at the Kremlin late on Saturday and ended shortly after 11 p.m. Moscow time.
Witkoff and Kushner are expected to travel to Kyiv on Sunday for talks with Ukrainian officials, in what would be their first visit to the Ukrainian capital as part of the latest US-led diplomatic efforts.
Trump had earlier said the two envoys were carrying a proposal aimed at ending the conflict, which began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Russia and Ukraine had agreed to suspend attacks on each other’s capitals for three days to create an environment for the diplomatic engagements.
Before the closed-door meeting, Putin thanked Trump for continuing efforts to end the war, acknowledging that the process had been difficult.
“Thank you for not stopping” the efforts to end the conflict, Putin told the US representatives, describing the task as “not simple.”
The Russian president has repeatedly maintained that Moscow intends to take control of the remaining parts of eastern Ukraine. Washington, however, has not disclosed whether its latest proposal would require Kyiv to surrender territory.
The talks come amid renewed escalation in the conflict, with both sides carrying out increasingly intense long-range attacks that have caused significant civilian casualties.
Ukrainian authorities said Russian strikes killed 10 people across the country on Saturday, including members of a family in the Kharkiv region and two people in the outskirts of Kyiv.
Putin assured the visiting US officials that Moscow would take steps to protect the diplomatic process when they travel to Kyiv.
“We will do everything that depends on us to ensure the safety of the negotiation process and mediators such as yourselves,” he told Witkoff and Kushner.
The Kremlin said Putin had ordered Russian forces to stop attacks on Kyiv for three days, beginning at midnight.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the temporary suspension was intended to facilitate negotiations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who had also proposed a temporary truce during the US diplomatic mission, said Kyiv would similarly refrain from attacking Moscow.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine would suspend strikes on the Russian capital through Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Putin said Moscow had observed what he described as a significant reduction in Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.
He also confirmed that the two US envoys were scheduled to travel to Kyiv, describing continued diplomatic contacts as beneficial regardless of the eventual outcome.
Zelenskyy said he expected Witkoff and Kushner to arrive in Kyiv on Sunday.
Despite the diplomatic efforts, fighting continued in several parts of Ukraine.
Ukrainian authorities said Russian attacks killed three members of the same family in Chuhuiv, in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
Regional governor Oleg Synegubov said the victims included a 19-year-old woman, an 11-year-old boy and a 45-year-old man.
Earlier on Saturday, Russian attacks also targeted areas around Kyiv and the Dnipro region, where local officials reported five deaths.
Zelenskyy accused Moscow of attempting to disrupt the US envoys’ visit, alleging that overnight attacks targeted Kyiv’s two airports as well as civilian areas.
The planned Kyiv visit would mark the first time Witkoff and Kushner have travelled to the Ukrainian capital since Trump returned to the White House and pledged to resolve the conflict.
A visit by air would be unusual because Ukrainian airspace has remained closed since Russia’s invasion in 2022. Foreign leaders and senior officials visiting Ukraine have generally travelled by train.
Witkoff and Kushner have previously participated in diplomatic efforts involving ceasefire negotiations in Gaza and Iran and have made several trips to Moscow as part of attempts to facilitate an agreement.
