US special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on September 5, 2026, for meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of efforts to revive peace negotiations over the war in Ukraine.
Russian state media and officials confirmed the envoys’ arrival and subsequent meeting with Putin at the Kremlin. Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, and Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, were met by Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Putin told the visitors that contacts between Moscow and Washington were beneficial and that Russia found it convenient to work with them. Witkoff conveyed Trump’s best wishes and thanks for a ceasefire during the visit. Putin said Russia would do its utmost to ensure the mediators’ safety.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Putin ordered a 72-hour pause in strikes on Kyiv, beginning at midnight local time on September 5. The suspension applied only to the capital. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine was prepared to refrain from strikes on Moscow through Monday and that he had spoken with the US envoys. He confirmed the plan for their visit to Kyiv on September 6.
The envoys’ trip to Kyiv would mark their first visit there in this role. Trump had said the pair were bringing a proposal aimed at ending the war, without providing details. Previous US-mediated efforts had stalled earlier in the year. The war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, continued with long-range attacks by both sides in recent months.
Sources including Reuters, CNN, The New York Times, The Guardian, and BBC reported the arrivals, meeting, and reciprocal strike pauses based on official statements from the Kremlin, Zelenskyy’s posts, and US comments.
SOURCES: Reuters, CNN, The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC, Kremlin statements, Ukrainian presidential communications.
