Putin meets US envoys for Ukraine war talks: Russian TV

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Saturday to discuss ending the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The US officials, sent by President Donald Trump, arrived in Moscow to work on a plan aimed at resolving the war. Putin, in footage aired on Russian state media, acknowledged that the situation was complex. US envoys are expected to travel to Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, on Sunday, marking a first for officials traveling by plane to the war-torn country since 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of attempting to disrupt the envoys' visit by launching overnight strikes on Kyiv's airports and a civilian target in the Dnipro region, resulting in five deaths. Zelensky stated that these actions were a reaction to the discussions surrounding the possibility of the US deploying an aircraft to visit Ukraine. He assured that Ukraine would not threaten diplomacy regardless of the circumstances.

This marks the first time that Witkoff, a businessman friend of Trump, and Kushner, his son-in-law, have visited Kyiv since Trump's return to office. Envoys are anticipated to meet with Putin in Moscow on Saturday, with a potential meeting involving a peace proposal. US President Trump assured that the negotiators would work on gauging the potential for peace in the conflict, although he did not disclose specific details about the plan or its potential to involve territorial concessions.

The push for diplomacy intensifies as Russia and Ukraine continue intense long-range attacks, driving up civilian casualties to levels not seen since the conflict began. On Friday, a Russian drone strike targeted Ukraine's Security Service headquarters in central Kyiv, the first such attack since the invasion. Despite this, Zelensky proposed observing a ceasefire during the US envoys' visit, with Ukraine ensuring not to launch any airstrikes in return.