The Kremlin announced that special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, met with President Vladimir Putin for over three hours on 5/9. This meeting occurred as the US intensifies efforts to revive negotiations aimed at ending the Ukraine conflict, which has persisted for more than four years.
Opening the meeting, Putin stated, "Dear colleagues, welcome to Moscow. The discussions we will hold today will not be easy at all."
The Russian president asked the two special envoys to convey his best wishes to his counterpart, Donald Trump, highlighting the US president's continued efforts to contribute to resolving the Ukraine crisis. He also affirmed Russia's constant readiness to work with special envoys Witkoff and Kushner.
"We will do our utmost to ensure the safety of the negotiation process and the intermediaries," President Putin told the US special envoys during the meeting.
Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy advisor, stated that both sides had a frank exchange. He added, "The US representatives were very well prepared for the trip. They not only expressed the traditional desire to end hostilities quickly but also presented numerous ideas for potential solutions to the Ukraine issue."
Advisor Ushakov further noted that the Russian side provided clear and comprehensive assessments of the actual situation, emphasizing "the tangible progress of the Russian military in the special operation zone."
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Special envoy Witkoff (left) shakes hands with President Putin in Moscow on 5/9. Photo: AFP |
According to TASS news agency, the US special envoys departed Moscow for Kyiv after the meeting.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced he expects to receive the US special envoys today. It remains unclear how the US delegation will reach Kyiv. Ukraine's airspace has been closed since the conflict erupted in 2/2022, with foreign leaders typically visiting Ukraine by train since then.
If the US special envoys arrive in Kyiv by plane, they would be the first foreign delegation to land in the Ukrainian capital by air in over four years of conflict.
In a televised statement before the meeting, President Putin declared that Russia would "ensure the safety" of the US special envoys upon their arrival in Ukraine. He noted that Moscow had received a proposal for a temporary suspension of attacks targeting the capital, Kyiv, conveyed through Russian intelligence agencies and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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President Vladimir Putin during his meeting with US special envoys in Moscow on 5/9. Photo: AFP |
On 5/9, President Putin thanked his US counterpart for his persistent efforts to end the conflict, acknowledging that it "is not easy." Regarding the US special envoys' trip to Kyiv, he remarked that "such contacts are always beneficial, regardless of what happens next."
President Trump stated on 4/9 that the US special envoys would carry proposals for ending the conflict to Russia and Ukraine. "We have an idea for peace," he said, without elaborating.
Vu Hoang (According to TASS, Ria Novosti, AFP)
