Moscow talks: Putin praises Trump, calls Ukraine situation complex to Kushner and Witkoff
Photo: Russian leader Vladimir Putin and US special envoys (Russian state media)
Russian leader Vladimir Putin, at the beginning of negotiations with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, described the situation in Ukraine as "complex" and praised US President Donald Trump for his efforts to settle the war, according to Reuters and Russian media.
The article says that Putin had met with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin on Saturday, had spent about three hours with them, and had told them at the start of the talks that the situation in Ukraine was complex.
It is noted that the Kremlin leader highly appreciated the efforts of US President Donald Trump to end the war in Ukraine.
"Understanding that he is entering a difficult situation, he nevertheless does not stop his efforts to help bring about a settlement and to make his contribution to resolving the Russian-Ukrainian conflict," Reuters quoted Putin as saying.
Regarding comments from Moscow on the negotiations, Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov reported that Witkoff and Kushner promised to use Putin's assessments regarding ways to settle the war during their contacts in Kyiv.
The Kremlin officially stated that the talks were substantive, extremely frank, and conducted in an atmosphere of trust.
At the same time, a Reuters source close to the Kremlin stated that Putin still intends to capture more territory in Ukraine. An anonymous media interlocutor reported this even before reports emerged about a possible trip by Trump's envoys to Moscow.
"There is no chance of reaching an agreement regarding the front line until Putin finishes securing the remaining part of the Donetsk region," the Reuters source said, adding that the Kremlin leader is confident this will happen by the end of the year.
Negotiations in Moscow
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday, September 5, for negotiations with Putin on settling the war in Ukraine, which had been put on pause due to the Americans' focus on the war in Iran.
