Witkoff and Kushner arrive in Moscow to meet with Putin, discuss Ukraine peace talks
Two days of talks in Abu Dhabi did not appear to produce a breakthrough.
LONDON -- 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, following two days of trilateral U.S.-Russia-Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi that seemingly produced no major diplomatic breakthrough.
Trump's envoys are expected to travel to Dublin, Ireland, later on Thursday, to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Witkoff and Kushner were greeted in Moscow by Kirill Dmitriev, the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, who has been involved in revived U.S.-Russian bilateral relations since Trump's return to office in January 2025.
This week's meetings in Abu Dhabi were the first trilateral talks held since February. The parties agreed a new prisoner exchange deal -- the largest of the war to date, according to Kushner -- and discussed issues including security guarantees for Ukraine and broader European security arrangements, according to readouts from the delegations.
Kushner said in a post to X on Wednesday that the prisoner exchange "will reunite families, build trust, and create momentum toward peace."
"Bringing Ukraine and Russia back together for the first trilateral talks since February was an important step. The discussions were serious, detailed, and frank. Both countries shared specific ideas to narrow the gaps and find a path to end the war," he added.
"In close coordination with Ukraine and our European partners, we have aligned on proposals we will discuss with President Putin in Moscow tomorrow, followed by consultations with President Zelenskyy," Kushner wrote, though acknowledged that "significant differences remain" between the combatants.
As Russia's full-scale invasion nears its fifth anniversary, Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on key negotiating issues. Those include the fate of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory in the east and southeast of the country, security guarantees from foreign partners to prevent renewed Russian aggression, Ukraine's ambition to join NATO and the size and capabilities of Kyiv's armed forces.
Zelenskyy arrived in Dublin on Wednesday, following a visit to Denmark. In a post to social media, Zelenskyy said it was "essential that the United States have a strong position and exert influence on the source of this war -- that is Russia -- so that Russia ends the war of its own making."
The Ukrainian leader said in a post to X that he expected to meet with Witkoff and Kushner on Thursday. "We are working to bring peace closer. Thank you to everyone who helps and supports Ukraine," he wrote.
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