Overview
- The U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin that lasted more than three hours on Saturday, Sept. 5, and then left Moscow to take the proposal to Kyiv.
- The Kremlin said Putin ordered no strikes on Kyiv from Sept. 5–8 to allow negotiations to proceed, a pause intended to protect the envoys’ travel and talks.
- A White House representative said officials discussed concrete next steps and that details will be announced in the coming weeks, signaling movement but no public agreement yet.
- Russian forces continued strikes elsewhere in Ukraine on Sept. 5, and Kyiv said its forces would take measures to ensure the negotiators could arrive safely while urging Moscow to refrain from attacks.
- The effort reflects a U.S. push to restart mediation that faces deep obstacles because Moscow insists on territorial and security demands that Ukraine rejects, leaving the talks fragile and the outcome uncertain.