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 a potential 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. The Ukrainian president is expected to meet with European leaders gathered there for the European Political Community event, which will see around 40 heads of state and government travel to Dublin.
In a post to social media on Wednesday, 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.
Both sides continued their long-range strike campaigns overnight.
Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 123 drones, of which 73 were jet powered, alongside a mix of Iskander ballistic missiles, Banderol cruise missiles and Zirkon anti-ship missiles.
Defenders intercepted or suppressed 89 drones, of which 51 were jet powered, and five Banderol missiles, the air force said. It reported impacts in 17 locations.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a post to Telegram that one person was killed and seven others were injured in the capital's western Solomianskyi district when a drone strike set fire to an apartment block.
Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported Russian attacks on energy infrastructure and other targets in the Rivne region, and said that one person was injured by Russian strikes in the Zhytomyr region.
Zelenskyy said in a post to Telegram that Ukrainian forces had recorded "significant disruptions" and 100 mile per hour speed restrictions in the operation of the military-grade Starshield satellite network -- which is run through Elon Musk's company SpaceX -- "for several days" along the entire frontline and in Russian-occupied Ukraine.
"This primarily means a significant complication in intercepting Russian jet-powered drones," Zelenskyy said. "Unfortunately, there have already been strikes that got through because our interception systems cannot reach sufficient speeds and are unable to intercept in time.
"This is helping the Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes against Ukraine. We are trying to establish all the circumstances with the American side," Zelenskyy added.
Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces downed 71 Ukrainian drones overnight. The craft were shot down over the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Tula, Oryol, Rostov and Moscow regions, plus occupied Crimea, it said.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said in posts to Telegram that at least five Ukrainian drones were shot down over the capital overnight.
Russia's federal air transport agency, Rosaviatsiya, said temporary flight restrictions were introduced at two of Moscow's four international airports; Zhukovsky and Domodedovo. Flight restrictions were not put in place at Vnukovo airport, where Witkoff and Kushner landed.
Restrictions were also put in place for airports in Penza, Saransk, Saratov and Kaluga, Rosaviatsiya said.
One person was injured during a drone attack in the border region of Belgorod and another person was injured by a strike in the neighboring Kursk region, local officials said.
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