US envoys meet Putin: What’s behind latest diplomacy on Russia-Ukraine war? — SkimNews
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- Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Putin in Moscow's Red Drawing Room for over three hours; Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov called the talks "highly useful" and said the envoys "outlined a number of ideas regarding possible avenues for a settlement," though gave no further detail.
- Moscow and Kyiv declared a three-day ceasefire to cover the envoys' visit, yet at least 7 people were killed in Russian attacks elsewhere in Ukraine and 1 person died in a Ukrainian drone strike on Russia's Belgorod region.
- Russia's core demands remain that Ukraine not join NATO and cede four regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — including territories not under Russian control; Ukraine has rejected ceding any territory.
- The US delegation included Treasury official Gene Lang, who oversees sanctions policy on Russia, while the push follows CIA director John Ratcliffe's Moscow visit last month and Russia's invitation to a recent G20 meeting.
- Alexey Muraviev, a senior research fellow at Edith Cowan University, said Witkoff and Kushner are viewed as "most susceptible to accepting Russia's narrative," particularly after Witkoff told Putin he'd treasure "incredible stories and memories" of their meetings.
- Trump and Putin are expected to meet next at the APEC summit in China in November, with Russia's deputy foreign minister not ruling out a trilateral meeting with the Chinese and US presidents.
Why it matters: Ukraine faces a stark choice between accepting Russia's terms — no NATO membership and ceding four regions — or continuing a war of attrition with mounting infrastructure damage ahead of winter. A successful deal would hand Trump a political win ahead of November midterm elections; failure extends military costs alongside the deadlocked Iran war.
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