[UPDATE] Witkoff says Moscow-Kyiv trip produced 'substantive progress' on scheduling more talks, with no date set and no terms disclosed
Zelensky told Axios he believes Putin "needs Trump" ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms; Bloomberg's sources say Putin remains committed to continuing the war.
The trips. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's envoys, met Vladimir Putin (President, Russia) in Moscow on Saturday, Sept. 5. They met Volodymyr Zelensky (President, Ukraine) in Kyiv the next day, Sunday, Sept. 6 — the first visit to Kyiv by either man since the war began. They traveled with National Security Council, State Department and Treasury officials under a three-day halt on strikes that covered only the two capitals. The claim. Witkoff's claim of progress was narrow: "Substantive progress was made, including movement on scheduling additional trilateral talks." (TS: No date, venue or format has been set, and the Kremlin wouldn't say what was proposed.) Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the envoys "outlined a number of ideas" in a three-hour meeting, and declined to say what they were. The demand. Russia's public demand is unchanged: Ukraine drops its bid to join NATO, the U.S.-led military alliance, and cedes four regions, including land Russian troops do not hold. "My feeling [is] that Putin needs Trump. He doesn't want to upset him." — Volodymyr Zelensky (President, Ukraine), to Axios Still open. A French official says Putin may not resume talks until after Russia's parliamentary elections on Sept. 18-20. The envoys report back to Trump and keep consulting Ukrainian and European officials.
PREVIOUSLY
- Sept. 4 — Zelensky said the two envoys would come to Kyiv and return to Moscow to restart stalled talks.
- Sept. 5 — Witkoff and Kushner met Putin at the Kremlin for more than three hours. Putin then ordered a 72-hour halt to strikes covering the two capitals only.
- Sept. 6 — The envoys met Zelensky in Kyiv, the first such visit of the war. It ended with agreement on next steps and no terms: no map, no sanctions language, no security guarantees, and a promise of an announcement "in weeks."
- Sept. 7 — Ukraine's matching halt on Moscow expired. Russia's Defense Ministry had already rejected the wider Sept. 5-9 ceasefire Ukraine proposed.
What kept moving while the capitals stayed quiet:
- Russia's Defense Ministry rejected a wider mutual ceasefire Ukraine proposed for Sept. 5-9
- A ballistic missile hit an industrial site in Kamianske, killing four
- Drones struck a shopping center in Mykolaiv
- Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported one dead and 10-plus wounded from drone attacks overnight Sunday, Sept. 6
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