Putin meets US envoys for Ukraine war talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin began talks with US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff on ending more than four years of war in Ukraine in the Kremlin Saturday, ahead of their first visit to Kyiv expected on Sunday.   

Both Russia and Ukraine vowed not to strike each other's capitals for three days during the negotiations, as Washington tries to revive US-led talks to end Europe's worst conflict since World War Two.

US President Donald Trump earlier said his son-in-law Kushner and business ally Witkoff were bringing "a proposal to end the war".

"Dear colleagues, I warmly welcome you to Moscow. The situation is, of course, not simple," Putin told the envoys in a grand Kremlin hall in footage aired by Russian TV.

"But before we begin to address it, I would like to ask everyone to convey their best wishes and words of gratitude to U.S. President Mr. Trump," Putin said.

The talks come as the grinding war saw increasing civilian deaths and attacks this summer. Putin has repeatedly said Moscow intends to seize the rest of east Ukraine.

The war, launched by Russia in 2022, has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions.

Russian strikes on Ukraine Saturday killed at least seven people, including in the Kyiv suburbs, Ukrainian officials said.

The Kremlin said it would not strike Kyiv from midnight Saturday, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would halt strikes on Moscow "from now" until Monday.

"The Russian president, the commander-in-chief, has given the order from midnight tonight not to strike Kyiv for three days," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Zelensky -- who had offered a truce during the US visits -- later said he had spoken to the US envoys and also promised Kyiv would not strike Moscow.

"From now through the end of Saturday, as well as on Sunday and Monday, Ukraine is ready to refrain from strikes on Moscow," Zelensky said on social media.

The Ukrainian leader said he had spoken to the US officials and that he expected them in Kyiv Sunday.

Russia had earlier struck Kyiv suburbs, with Zelensky accusing Moscow of trying to disrupt their visit with overnight attacks on Kyiv's two airports -- as well as on civilian targets in the Dnipro region that killed five people.

"Two people were killed in the Bucha district" outside Kyiv, the head of the Kyiv region Tymur Tkachenko said.

"Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the US side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine," Zelensky said on X.

It will be the first time that Witkoff and Kushner visit Kyiv since Trump returned to office last year with a pledge to resolve the conflict.

Travelling to Kyiv by plane would be a highly unusual move, with Ukrainian airspace closed since 2022 because of the war. Visiting leaders and officials have generally travelled by train.

The envoys are expected in Kyiv on Sunday, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP.

Trump told reporters the envoys would seek to gauge whether progress towards peace was possible.

Peace efforts have stalled, in part because of Washington's war with Iran, while Moscow and Kyiv have intensified long-range attacks, driving up civilian casualties to levels not seen since the start of fighting in February 2022.

"I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two great negotiators. They've done a great job, and we sent them over to see whether or not we can get something done. And there may be a good chance that we'll do it," Trump said.

The US president would not say whether the plan the envoys were bringing involved Ukraine ceding territory as he has previously suggested, but added: "We have an idea for peace."

Witkoff and Kushner, who have been involved in negotiations for ceasefires in Gaza and Iran, have travelled repeatedly to Moscow in previous attempts at diplomacy.

The renewed push for diplomacy comes as Russia and Ukraine pummel each other with long-range missile and drone attacks.

Just hours before Trump's announcement on Friday, a Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine's SBU security service in central Kyiv.

The strike, which Zelensky said was aimed at the office of the agency's acting chief, was the first on its headquarters since the start of Russia's offensive.

Overnight, a Russian strike killed five people and wounded five others in the southeastern city of Kamianske, said Oleksandr Ganzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration.

Witkoff and Kushner's visit comes after a rare trip to Moscow last month by CIA director John Ratcliffe.

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