US envoys meet Putin: What’s behind latest diplomacy on Russia-Ukraine war?

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner meet Putin in Moscow and head to Kyiv as part of Trump’s new efforts to broker an agreement.

Vladimir Putin with Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff at the Kremlin on Saturday, [Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via Reuters]

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have held talks with President Vladmir Putin in Moscow, in what appears to be new efforts by the Trump administration to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the envoys were bringing “a proposal to end the war” – Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II – and a senior ⁠⁠Russian ⁠⁠official said it was an “important peacemaking visit”.

list 1 of 4 Witkoff and Kushner will travel to ‘end’ Russia’s war in Ukraine: Trump

list 2 of 4 Trump sends envoys to Russia, Ukraine with new peace plan

list 3 of 4 At least 5 killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine as US envoys visit Moscow

list 4 of 4 US envoys arrive in Kyiv for Ukraine war talks after meeting Putin

Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and Witkoff, the US special envoy, are expected to arrive in Kyiv on Sunday, reviving diplomacy when both countries have escalated attacks. Both Moscow and Kyiv announced a three-day ceasefire to coincide with the latest trip.

So what’s behind the latest initiative by the US envoys and will it help end the war?

What was the outcome of the meeting?

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the high-level talks were “highly useful” and lasted for more than three hours, according to Reuters.

Witkoff and Kushner “outlined a number of ideas regarding possible avenues for a settlement,” said Ushakov, without providing any further detail, but added that the talks had been “substantive, very frank and constructive”.

Videos show Putin meeting the US envoys in the famous Red Drawing Room at the Kremlin on Saturday and telling his guests that the situation they are exploring “is, of course, not an easy one”.

The question remains whether Russia is willing to compromise, said Al Jazeera correspondent Yulia Shapovalova from Moscow. “Moscow demands that Ukraine not join NATO and hand over four Ukrainian regions to Russia, including territories not controlled by Russian forces.”

In September 2022, Putin proclaimed the annexation of four partially occupied Ukrainian regions – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. The move was not recognised by the international community, including the UN. Ukraine has refused to cede territory to Russia.

The Trump administration has ruled out a seat for Ukraine at NATO – which Russia has opposed. Trump had initially been critical of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but has since mended ties after berating the Ukrainian leader in the Oval Office in February last year.

In August, Trump met Putin in Alaska, but the summit failed to reach a deal to end the war.

Why are the US envoys in Moscow?

Witkoff and Kushner have been involved in a number of diplomatic talks, including the Iran war, the so-called ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel and the Ukraine-Russia war.

Witkoff was appointed as the special envoy to the Middle East and later assigned the task of helping end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Kushner also played a major role in the 2020 Abraham Accords that saw a number of Muslim countries recognise Israel. The initiative has been criticised for prioritising Arab-Israeli normalisation without addressing the question of a Palestinian state.

The details of the latest Ukraine peace plan are unclear, but Trump reportedly said last week, “we have an idea for peace”, without providing any additional details.

US officials from the National Security Council, State Department and the Treasury were also part of the delegation. The presence of Treasury official Gene Lang, who oversees US sanctions policy, including on Russia, indicates that the ongoing financial, economic and trade sanctions on Russia might have been part of the discussions in Moscow.

The Trump administration has ramped up sanctions on Russia aimed at forcing it to end the war. The Iran war has, however, diverted Trump’s and global attention away from the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

The Iran war has also strained transatlantic ties as Trump has accused his European and NATO allies of not helping him in efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has used as leverage in talks. He has also been critical of NATO allies for not sharing the burden of collective defence, particularly against Russian threats.

NATO members from Europe have since stepped up their spending and offered to provide security guarantees to Ukraine after a deal is signed with Russia.

The latest push comes amid deadly Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, while Kyiv has stepped up drone attacks on Russian energy sites.

What is Witkoff and Kushner’s next stop?

They have arrived in Kyiv for their first visit to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

It was their second visit to the Kremlin this year and the eighth since the start of the war.

Experts say Ukrainians are sceptical of the US envoys.

“The view in Ukraine [is] that Witkoff, and to some extent Kushner, are most susceptible to accepting Russia’s narrative,” said Alexey Muraviev, a senior research fellow of defence and strategic studies at Edith Cowan University in Australia.

Witkoff told Putin that the US president had sent his best wishes and ⁠⁠⁠⁠thanked him for ⁠⁠⁠⁠the limited ceasefire during the delegation’s visit. The special US envoy was also recorded telling Putin that “we will have all these incredible stories and memories, and yours will be right at the top of it all”. The Russian president conveyed his gratitude to Trump and said ⁠⁠⁠⁠Moscow would do its ⁠⁠⁠⁠utmost to ensure ⁠⁠⁠⁠the safety of the mediators.

The choice of words and tone won’t sit well with Ukrainians, explained Al Jazeera correspondent Audrey McAlpine from Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv.

While the visit there is seen as significant, the interaction between the envoys and Putin is an indication of “that familiarity between Witkoff and Putin”, she said.

Where the war stands now?

Russia and Ukraine announced a halt in attacks on each other’s capitals until Monday. The no-shoot policy is to ensure the envoys travel to the talks.

However, attacks have been reported in other cities in both the warring countries. At least seven people were killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine, while a Ukrainian drone attack killed one person in Russia’s Belgorod region.

In recent months, the two sides have intensified drone strikes, killing dozens. Ukraine’s production of low-cost, long-range drones has increased the number of attacks on industrial and logistical sites deep within Russia.

“There are growing concerns about the level of Ukraine’s resilience given the collateral damage that the Russian attacks have caused to Ukraine’s infrastructure ahead of the incoming winter,” Muraviev said, while pointing out that Putin is looking for a more long-term strategic deal.

Recent drone incidents reported in a number of European countries have raised suspicions that Russia is responsible, although no proof has been published. They included a failed drone explosion at Germany’s Leipzig airport and a fire at a drone factory in Poland.

Why is Trump pushing for a new deal now?

The US president has said that tens of thousands of people are dying on both sides every month due to the Ukraine-Russia war. During his re-election campaign in 2024, Trump said he would end the war within 24 hours, but that deadline has been revised several times.

He has hosted Putin in Alaska and held talks with Zelenskyy several times but has failed to find an agreement to end the war.

Recent steps by the Trump administration are interpreted as an attempt to revive relations between the US and Russia after months of stalled diplomacy.

CIA director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow last month to meet with Russian intelligence officials and the US invited Russia’s Finance Minister, Anton Siluanov, to a recent G20 meeting. His attendance was criticised by several European countries who refused a group photo with the Russian diplomat in protest.

Trump is expected to meet Putin next in November during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China, according to media reports. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said on Sunday that Moscow has not ruled ‌‌out a trilateral meeting between the Russian, Chinese and US presidents, the TASS state news agency reported.

Trump’s latest diplomatic push comes as the Iran war remains deadlocked and the Ukraine-Russia conflict has turned into a war of attrition. The war with Iran has become hugely unpopular domestically ahead of the crucial midterm elections in November. If Trump’s Republican party loses its majority in Congress, it would become extremely hard for the president to push his agenda.

A peace agreement in the longstanding war in the coming weeks could be a major boost for him ahead of election day.

史蒂夫·威特科夫和贾里德·库什纳在莫斯科会见了普京，并前往基辅，这是特朗普为促成协议而做出的新努力的一部分。

周六，弗拉基米尔·普京与贾里德·库什纳和史蒂夫·威特科夫在克里姆林宫合影。[卫星通讯社/米哈伊尔·梅策尔/路透社]

美国特使史蒂夫·威特科夫和贾里德·库什纳在莫斯科与俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京举行了会谈，这似乎是特朗普政府为结束俄乌战争而做出的新努力。

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普周六表示，这些特使带来了“结束战争的提议”——这是二战以来欧洲最致命的冲突——一位俄罗斯高级官员表示，这是一次“重要的和平访问”。

特朗普表示，维特科夫和库什纳将前往乌克兰“结束”俄罗斯在乌克兰的战争（共四项，此为第一项）。

特朗普派遣特使前往俄罗斯和乌克兰，提出新的和平计划（共4条，这是第2条）

（共4条记录中的第3条）美国特使访问莫斯科期间，俄罗斯袭击乌克兰，至少5人死亡

四名美国特使抵达基辅，就乌克兰问题举行会谈，此前他们已与普京会面。

特朗普的女婿库什纳和美国特使维特科夫预计将于周日抵达基辅，此举旨在重启外交斡旋，此前两国冲突不断升级。莫斯科和基辅均宣布，为配合此次访问，双方将停火三天。

那么，美国特使们最新举措的背后是什么？它能否帮助结束这场战争？

会议结果如何？

据路透社报道，克里姆林宫助手尤里·乌沙科夫表示，高级别会谈“非常有益”，持续了三个多小时。

乌沙科夫表示，维特科夫和库什纳“概述了一些关于可能达成和解的途径的想法”，但他没有提供任何进一步的细节，只是补充说，会谈“内容充实、非常坦诚且富有建设性”。

视频显示，普京周六在克里姆林宫著名的红色会客厅会见了美国特使，并告诉来宾，他们正在探讨的局势“当然不是一个简单的局势”。

半岛电视台驻莫斯科记者尤利娅·沙波瓦洛娃表示，问题仍然是俄罗斯是否愿意妥协。“莫斯科要求乌克兰不要加入北约，并将乌克兰的四个地区移交给俄罗斯，其中包括一些目前未被俄罗斯军队控制的地区。”

2022年9月，普京宣布吞并乌克兰四个部分被占领地区——顿涅茨克、卢甘斯克、赫尔松和扎波罗热。这一举动未得到包括联合国在内的国际社会的承认。乌克兰拒绝将领土割让给俄罗斯。

特朗普政府已排除乌克兰加入北约的可能性——俄罗斯对此表示反对。特朗普最初曾批评乌克兰总统泽连斯基，但在去年2月于椭圆形办公室严厉斥责泽连斯基后，双方关系有所缓和。

8 月，特朗普在阿拉斯加会见了普京，但峰会未能达成结束战争的协议。

美国特使为何在莫斯科？

维特科夫和库什纳参与了多项外交会谈，包括伊朗战争、哈马斯与以色列之间的所谓停火协议以及乌克兰-俄罗斯战争。

维特科夫被任命为中东问题特使，后又负责协助结束俄乌冲突。库什纳在2020年《亚伯拉罕协议》中也发挥了重要作用，该协议促使多个穆斯林国家承认以色列。但该协议因优先考虑阿拉伯国家与以色列关系正常化而未解决巴勒斯坦建国问题而受到批评。

最新的乌克兰和平计划的细节尚不清楚，但据报道，特朗普上周表示，“我们有一个和平方案”，但没有提供任何其他细节。

美国国家安全委员会、国务院和财政部的官员也参与了此次代表团。财政部官员吉恩·朗（Gene Lang）的出席表明，目前正在进行的对俄金融、经济和贸易制裁可能是莫斯科之行讨论的内容之一。朗负责监督包括对俄制裁在内的美国制裁政策。

特朗普政府加大了对俄罗斯的制裁力度，旨在迫使其结束战争。然而，伊朗战争转移了特朗普和全世界对乌克兰-俄罗斯冲突的注意力。

伊朗战争也加剧了跨大西洋关系的紧张，特朗普指责其欧洲和北约盟友在重新开放霍尔木兹海峡的努力中没有给予他帮助，而德黑兰一直将该海峡作为谈判筹码。他还批评北约盟友没有分担集体防御的责任，尤其是在应对俄罗斯威胁方面。

此后，欧洲的北约成员国加大了对乌克兰的支出，并表示在乌克兰与俄罗斯签署协议后，将向乌克兰提供安全保障。

最新一轮行动发生在俄罗斯对乌克兰发动致命导弹和无人机袭击之际，与此同时，基辅方面也加大了对俄罗斯能源设施的无人机袭击力度。

维特科夫和库什纳的下一站是哪里？

他们已抵达基辅，进行首次访问，会见总统弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基。

这是他们今年第二次访问克里姆林宫，也是自战争开始以来的第八次访问。

专家表示，乌克兰人对美国特使持怀疑态度。

“乌克兰方面认为，维特科夫，以及在某种程度上库什纳，最容易接受俄罗斯的说法，”澳大利亚伊迪斯科文大学国防与战略研究高级研究员阿列克谢·穆拉维耶夫说。

维特科夫告诉普京，美国总统向他致以最美好的祝愿，并感谢他在代表团访问期间促成的有限停火。录音显示，这位美国特使还告诉普京：“我们将拥有所有这些令人难以置信的故事和回忆，而您的故事将是最难忘的。”俄罗斯总统向特朗普表达了谢意，并表示莫斯科将尽一切努力确保调解员的安全。

半岛电视台驻乌克兰首都基辅记者奥黛丽·麦克阿尔平解释说，这种措辞和语气不会受到乌克兰人的欢迎。

她表示，虽然此次访问意义重大，但特使与普京的互动表明了“维特科夫和普京之间的熟悉程度”。

目前战争局势如何？

俄罗斯和乌克兰宣布暂停对对方首都的袭击，直至周一。这项不开火政策旨在确保双方特使能够前往参加会谈。

然而，交战双方的其他城市也均有袭击事件发生。俄罗斯对乌克兰的袭击造成至少7人死亡，而乌克兰无人机袭击俄罗斯别尔哥罗德州，造成1人死亡。

近几个月来，双方加大了无人机袭击力度，造成数十人死亡。乌克兰生产的低成本远程无人机增加了对俄罗斯境内工业和物流设施的袭击次数。

穆拉维耶夫表示：“鉴于俄罗斯的袭击对乌克兰基础设施在即将到来的冬季造成了附带损害，人们越来越担心乌克兰的抵御能力。”他还指出，普京正在寻求一项更长期的战略协议。

近期欧洲多国发生的无人机事件引发了人们对俄罗斯是否应对此负责的怀疑，尽管目前尚未公布任何证据。这些事件包括德国莱比锡机场发生的无人机爆炸事故和波兰一家无人机工厂发生的火灾。

为什么特朗普现在力推新协议？

美国总统曾表示，乌克兰和俄罗斯之间的战争每月导致双方数万人丧生。在2024年的竞选连任期间，特朗普曾承诺在24小时内结束这场战争，但这一期限已被多次修改。

他曾多次在阿拉斯加接待普京，并与泽连斯基举行会谈，但始终未能达成结束战争的协议。

特朗普政府近期的举措被解读为在美俄外交陷入停滞数月后，试图重振美俄关系的尝试。

美国中央情报局局长约翰·拉特克利夫上个月访问莫斯科，会见了俄罗斯情报官员。美国还邀请俄罗斯财政部长安东·西卢阿诺夫出席了最近的二十国集团峰会。他的出席遭到了一些欧洲国家的批评，这些国家拒绝与这位俄罗斯外交官合影以示抗议。

据媒体报道，特朗普预计将于11月在中国举行的亚太经合组织（APEC）峰会期间与普京会晤。俄罗斯副外长谢尔盖·里亚布科夫周日表示，莫斯科并未排除俄中美三国总统举行三方会晤的可能性，塔斯社对此进行了报道。

特朗普最新的外交努力正值伊朗战争陷入僵局，乌克兰-俄罗斯冲突演变为消耗战之际。在11月关键的中期选举前夕，伊朗战争在国内已变得极不受欢迎。如果特朗普所在的共和党失去国会多数席位，总统推行其政策议程将变得极其困难。

未来几周内，这场旷日持久的战争若能达成和平协议，可能会在选举日前极大地提振他的选情。