Witkoff and Kushner meet with Putin about ending Ukraine war
Source: www.axios.com ·
Section: politics ·
Bias: Left
· Published: Sun, 06 Sep 2026 00:43:17 GMT
President Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin Saturday and discussed U.S. ideas for ending the war in Ukraine.Why it matters: Witkoff and Kushner want to resume direct talks between Russia and Ukraine after negotiations were suspended six months ago and the fighting has escalated ahead of winter. Witkoff and Kushner, who are expected to travel to Kyiv on Sunday, got Russia and Ukraine to agree to a short pause in airstrikes to allow the trip to take place.What they are saying: Putin told Witkoff and Kushner at the top of the three-hour meeting that he has "full trust" in the U.S. mediation between Russia and Ukraine. Witkoff thanked Putin for releasing ex-U.S. Marine Robert Gilman and for agreeing to pause airstrikes against Ukraine while U.S. negotiators are visiting Kyiv. Putin said the pause will begin at midnight Saturday Moscow time and noted that Ukraine also reduced its strikes. "We will do our utmost to provide for the safety of the negotiations," Putin said. Yes, but: Over the last several days, Russia dramatically increased its drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, including Kyiv and other major cities. The big picture: The trip to Kyiv by Trump's envoys will be the highest-level visit by a U.S. official to Ukraine since President Trump started his second term.The intrigue: Gene Lange, the acting sanctions czar at the Treasury Department, joined Witkoff and Kushner on the trip. Lange participated in a preparatory meeting with Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev but didn't attend the meeting with Putin.Lange's participation indicates that U.S. sanctions against Russia were part of the discussions. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met his Russian counterpart on the sidelines of the G20 Finance Ministers meeting in Asheville, North Carolina last week and said the U.S. would not give Russia economic relief until it ends the war with Ukraine.What they said: Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy aide, told Russian reporters afterward that Witkoff and Kushner "made serious preparations for this trip. They not only expressed their traditional interest in a speedy end to the fighting but also formulated a number of ideas regarding possible resolution paths."A White House official said that "officials from the National Security Council, State Department, and Treasury Department" joined Witkoff, Kushner and Putin at the meeting. "The two sides discussed substantive plans for next steps, which will be announced in the coming weeks, and look forward to equally productive meetings tomorrow in Ukraine."
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