US President's special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held talks with Putin in Moscow, after which they arrived in Kyiv for meetings with the Ukrainian and European sides. In parallel, the US Treasury Department official responsible for sanctions policy joined the American negotiating team. Against the backdrop of diplomatic contacts, Washington also declared its readiness to support NATO countries in countering hybrid attacks.
Trump's special envoys arrive in Kyiv for talks with Ukraine and European partners
US President's special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Kyiv, where they are to hold talks with the Ukrainian side and European partners. This is their first visit to Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. The American representatives were met at the Kyiv Railway Station by the Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov, the First Deputy Head of the OPS Serhiy Kyslytsia, the Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service Rustem Umerov and the Head of the Servant of the People faction David Arakhamia. Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine seeks to hold the most constructive and meaningful negotiations with the American side.
According to Zelenskyy, two separate sessions of negotiations with the participation of Witkoff and Kushner are planned in Kyiv. The first meeting will be held with the Ukrainian side, after which the American representatives will hold a separate conversation with their European partners.
“It is very important that the delegation has arrived here. We have been waiting for Steve and Jared for a long time and we thank President Trump for allowing them to come. This is important from the point of view of permission, from the point of view of security,” said the Head of State. “Unfortunately, the Russians showed with their strikes that they cannot use the plane, although they have prepared everything, our airports are working.”
Zelensky also noted that after the first session of negotiations, a second meeting with the participation of representatives of European countries will take place.
US sanctions official joins Witkoff and Kushner's talks with Russia
US President's special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were joined by acting US Treasury Department sanctions coordinator Gene Lang during their trip to Moscow, Axiosreports. Lang took part in a preparatory meeting with Putin's representative Kirill Dmitriev, but was not present during subsequent negotiations between Witkoff and Kushner and the Kremlin leader. The participation of the US official responsible for sanctions policy may indicate that US sanctions against Russia were one of the issues discussed during the talks.
The US delegation's visit to Moscow came amid discussions about a possible end to the war in Ukraine and further economic relations with Russia. The day before, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant met with his Russian counterpart Anton Siluanov on the sidelines of a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Asheville, North Carolina. Bessant said the US would not provide Russia with economic relief until it ended its war in Ukraine. Against this backdrop, Lang's presence at the preparatory talks between Witkoff and Kushner attracted attention because of his direct responsibility for coordinating US sanctions policy.
US to support NATO countries in countering hybrid attacks
US Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker said, that the Alliance countries should not tolerate deliberate actions within the framework of hybrid warfare. According to him, Washington will support allies facing such threats. Whitaker singled out the attempted drone attack on the German airport Leipzig/Halle, which Berlin blamed on Russia. The American diplomat noted that this incident is more concerning than the cases when Russian drones directed against Ukraine, due to deviations from course, ended up on the territory of NATO countries.
“In addition, there are what I would call more disturbing hybrid actions, such as those we saw in Leipzig, ... in Poland,” Whitaker said on the sidelines of a business conference in Italy.
He stressed that NATO members must be prepared, remain vigilant and respond clearly to such incidents.
“If we can establish who is doing this - as Germany has done - we will certainly make it clear that this is unacceptable and that we will not tolerate it,” said the US permanent representative to the Alliance.
Whitaker also warned that critical infrastructure, including energy infrastructure, could be targeted, and that they should be under the supervision of authorities. He said countering such threats is primarily a national responsibility, but the United States stands ready to support countries facing hybrid attacks.
Witkoff and Kushner sought to resume talks with Russia on ending the war
US President Donald Trump’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Putin in Moscow on September 5, seeking to restart US-brokered talks to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. The talks in the Kremlin lasted about three hours, according to The New York Times. Putin’s spokesman Kirill Dmitriev called the US negotiators’ visit “an important peacemaking visit.” Putin said during the meeting: “The situation we are dealing with today is certainly not easy.” He also conveyed his “best wishes and words of gratitude” to Donald Trump.
Kushner greeted Putin with the Russian words “happy holiday,” referring to Moscow Day, which was celebrated that day. The day before, Putin had reportedly ordered a three-day pause in strikes on Kyiv in preparation for talks in the Ukrainian capital. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained the decision as “in preparation for the talks in Kyiv.” Putin said Russia had not struck Kyiv since midnight on Saturday, but Russian attacks on other regions of Ukraine continued. At the same time, Russia continues to insist on territorial claims, which Ukraine rejects.
Kremlin calls talks with US representatives “very useful”, but does not announce a breakthrough
The kremlin announced, that Putin’s talks with US special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were “very useful”, but no signs of a breakthrough were announced. According to Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov, the meeting lasted more than three hours. He said that the US representatives “outlined a number of ideas on possible ways to resolve the situation”, but did not specify what exactly the proposals were. Ushakov also said that during the talks Putin spoke of Russia’s alleged “real progress” on the battlefield and expressed confidence in achieving its goals.
According to Ushakov, the Russian side insisted on the need to eliminate “all the root causes of the conflict,” and the meeting also discussed in detail economic issues and potential large-scale mutually beneficial Russian-American projects.
“The negotiations went beyond a simple exchange of views on resolving the Ukrainian crisis. Economic issues and potential large-scale mutually beneficial Russian-American projects were discussed in detail,” Ushakov said.
He called the talks timely and “very useful for both sides.” Putin’s investment representative Kirill Dmitriev also called the meeting “an important peacemaking visit,” and Putin himself separately praised Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war.
“Understanding that he is in a difficult situation, he nevertheless does not stop his efforts to help achieve a settlement and make his contribution to resolving the Russian-Ukrainian conflict,” Putin said at the start of the talks.
At the same time, the American side called the negotiations meaningful, but plans to announce further steps only in the coming weeks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reported that Putin instructed the Russian military not to strike Kyiv for three days in connection with the visit of American negotiators. At the same time, Moscow maintains a tough position on the conditions for ending the war: the Kremlin stated that Putin's demands for the transfer to Russia of the entire territory of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow declared its own, and for Ukraine to refuse to join NATO, remain "unwavering."
Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS
Author: Danylo Pievchev