US envoys Witkoff, Kushner head to Kyiv after talks with Putin in Moscow

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to arrive in Kyiv on Sunday for their first visit to the Ukrainian capital as Washington seeks to revive efforts to end Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The visit follows a more than three-hour meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday. Witkoff and Kushner, who is also US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, are attempting to restart peace talks amid a sharp escalation in Russian and Ukrainian aerial attacks.

The diplomatic push comes as Russian and Ukrainian forces remain largely deadlocked along the 1,250-km front line, while Moscow has stepped up the use of fast-flying, jet-powered drones against Ukrainian cities.

Kyiv has been subjected to frequent air-raid alerts, with Russian strikes recently extending into daylight hours. Ukraine has also continued long-range attacks inside Russia, targeting military facilities and other infrastructure.

As the US envoys began their diplomatic mission, Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to pause strikes on each other’s capitals while the talks are under way.

No breakthrough announced after Putin meeting

Saturday’s meeting between Putin and the US envoys ended without any announcement of a breakthrough.

Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, described the discussions as “constructive, frank and useful” but did not disclose specific outcomes.

He said Moscow had provided the US delegation with a “comprehensive assessment” of the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Ushakov said the discussions were not limited to the war, with the two sides also discussing economic matters and potential joint projects between Russia and the United States.

“Economic issues and potentially large, mutually beneficial joint projects for Russia and America were discussed in considerable detail,” he said.

The meeting was the latest high-level contact between Washington and Moscow as the Trump administration attempts to broker an end to the conflict.

Witkoff and Kushner last travelled to Moscow in January, when they also held talks with Putin at the Kremlin. Their trip to Kyiv would mark their first known visit to Ukraine’s capital.

US peace push faces major challenges

Washington’s efforts to end the war have lost momentum in recent months, with the United States devoting significant attention to its conflict with Iran.

The latest mission is taking place against an increasingly volatile military backdrop. Both sides have intensified their use of drones and missiles, while Russian forces have recently deployed larger numbers of jet-powered drones that are harder to intercept.

The temporary agreement to pause attacks on the Russian and Ukrainian capitals provides a limited opening for diplomacy, but there has been no indication of a broader ceasefire.

The US envoys’ meetings in Moscow and Kyiv are therefore expected to focus on assessing the positions of both sides and determining whether stalled negotiations can be brought back on track.