Putin meets with Trump envoys in Moscow in new push to end Ukraine war

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin in Moscow for over three hours on Saturday. The talks, described as "extremely useful" and "constructive" by Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov, sought a deal to end the war in Ukraine. According to Ushakov, the envoys put forward several ideas for a settlement, but no progress was made.

The meeting took place as both Russia and Ukraine have intensified long-range airstrikes in recent weeks. Ushakov said Putin told the envoys that Russia is making "real progress" on the battlefield and is confident of achieving its objectives. However, he stressed the need to address "all root causes of the conflict". The envoys, who visited Moscow on behalf of former President Donald Trump, left for Kyiv on Sunday to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The talks were part of a renewed effort to end the war, which has lasted more than four and a half years and resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions of displaced people. According to CBS News, both Russia and Ukraine agreed not to strike each other's capitals during the negotiations. The New Straits Times reported that US President Donald Trump had said Kushner and Witkoff were bringing a "proposal" on ending the fighting.

Brief written by urgent.news from CBS News, Ajel English, The Korea Times, New Straits Times, Japan Times — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.