U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Thursday. They are due to meet Putin.
MOSCOW — President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner landed in Moscow on Thursday morning ahead of a planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the war in Ukraine.
Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, greeted the envoys at Vnukovo airport, according to a handout from the fund. Dmitriev has been involved in reviving U.S.-Russian relations since Trump returned to office in January 2025. The envoys are expected to fly to Dublin later Thursday to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who arrived in the Irish capital on Wednesday after a visit to Denmark.
The trip follows two days of U.S.-Russia-Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi that did not appear to produce a major breakthrough. They were the first three-way talks since February. The sides agreed a new prisoner exchange, which Kushner said is the largest of the war, and discussed security guarantees for Ukraine and wider European security.
Kushner said in a post on X on Wednesday that the U.S. had worked with Ukraine and European partners on proposals to put to Putin in Moscow, followed by consultations with Zelenskyy. He said both countries had shared specific ideas to narrow the gaps but acknowledged that significant differences remain.
Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart as the full-scale invasion approaches its fifth anniversary. The disputes include Russian-occupied territory in eastern and southern Ukraine, security guarantees from foreign partners, Ukraine’s ambition to join NATO and the size of Kyiv’s armed forces.
This report draws on coverage by ABC News.