US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Thursday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as the Donald Trump administration continues its efforts to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
Washington is seeking Moscow’s approval for European representatives to participate directly in the negotiation process, following two days of US-mediated talks between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi that ended without a decisive breakthrough.
Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s special envoy, announced the arrival of the American delegation at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport in a post on X, sharing footage of their reception.
The November 10–11 negotiations resulted in an agreement in principle on a significant prisoner-of-war exchange. However, major disagreements over territorial issues, post-war security guarantees and Europe’s role in the peace process remain unresolved.
Kushner said his meeting with Putin would focus on the outcome of the Abu Dhabi negotiations, with securing Russia’s approval for direct European participation among Washington’s main priorities.
“We see some space and opportunities,” Kushner told reporters, adding that he and Witkoff would travel to Dublin after their Moscow visit to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the latest developments.
He said the American representatives had repeatedly communicated to Putin and his team that progress would only be possible if Russia agreed to work alongside them.
“We have conveyed directly to President Putin and his team several times that the only way to achieve this is for them to be alongside us. I think they are open to the idea. I hope that tomorrow in Moscow, Steve and I will succeed and President Putin will give his approval,” Kushner said.
For Witkoff, who initially led the Trump administration’s negotiations with Moscow over Ukraine, the visit marks his tenth trip to Russia since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Putin would first receive a briefing from the Russian delegation on the Abu Dhabi discussions before hearing the assessment of the American envoys.
Lavrov added that the Russian president would then decide on Moscow’s next steps in the negotiations, stressing that Russia’s position would remain focused on achieving the objectives of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, who headed the Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi, took an even harder line, saying Moscow would only be satisfied with victory and an agreement reached on its own terms — conditions that would largely amount to Ukraine’s capitulation.
Medinsky also dismissed the prospect of Europe immediately joining the negotiations.
“When they (the Europeans) develop a conscience, they will be able to participate in peace negotiations,” he said following the Abu Dhabi talks.
He further accused European countries of being part of what he described as a “collective deception of the Ukrainian people”, claiming they also bore responsibility for civilian deaths.
The contrasting positions underline the significant obstacles facing Washington’s diplomatic efforts, particularly over territorial concessions, security guarantees and the future role of European countries in determining the terms of a potential peace agreement.
