23JUL

Witkoff and Kushner meet Putin with no result

1 min read

20:33UTC

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Putin in Moscow on 5 September and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on 6 September. Moscow announced no result from more than three hours of talks.

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Key takeaway

Three hours with Putin produced no announced result, and Lavrov ruled out pausing operations.

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Vladimir Putin in Moscow on 5 September and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on 6 September, and Moscow announced no result from more than three hours of talks.

Sergei Lavrov told reporters on 12 September that Russia is ready to negotiate but will not suspend military operations while it does. Read that as the Russian position rather than a concession: Moscow treats talking and shooting as compatible policies, so the talks cost the campaign nothing. Zelenskyy has offered to meet Putin at the G20 summit in Miami in December.

Washington's involvement has run mostly through weapons rather than terms. Trump and Rutte expanded the allied purchase mechanism in July, and the money has kept moving while the negotiating track has not. Three hours in Moscow produced no communiqué, and no date has been set for a further round.

Deep Analysis

In plain English

Two US envoys met separately with the Russian and Ukrainian presidents within a day of each other, but Moscow announced no outcome from the talks. Russia's foreign minister says his country will keep negotiating without pausing its military operations, while Ukraine's president has floated meeting Putin at a global summit in December.

Sources:Associated Press

Mentions:Steve Witkoff →Jared Kushner →Vladimir Putin →Volodymyr Zelenskyy →Miami →Lavrov →Russia →Washington →Kyiv →Ukraine →Moscow →

First Reported In

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Associated Press· 13 Sept 2026

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Causes and effects

This Event

Witkoff and Kushner meet Putin with no result

Sergei Lavrov said on 12 September that Russia will negotiate without suspending military operations, which treats talking and shooting as compatible policies.

Led to

Witkoff's Miami talks end a day early

Witkoff and Kushner returned to Ukraine talks after their September Moscow and Kyiv round produced no announced result.

Occurred 9 Oct 2026

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Putin offers November talks, aide says

Witkoff's September meeting with Putin ended without an announced result; this one produced a Kremlin date.

Occurred 21 Oct 2026

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Different Perspectives

South Korean foreign ministry

Seoul said on 20 October it will withdraw some Kyiv embassy staff, citing no constructive steps from Kyiv since it recalled its ambassador over the disclosure of two North Korean prisoners. A chargé d'affaires and consular staff stay, and Seoul says its aid continues.

Alexander Lukashenko

Lukashenko said on 22 October that talks with the US show progress despite problems, which he said were highlighted with the exchange of political prisoners for the lifting of sanctions. He said Minsk keeps its promises and wants the US to deliver its side in full.

Moldovan government (Daniella Misail-Nichitin)

Moldova has pulled its border guards and customs officers from four crossings on Ukrainian soil after Russian strikes near the border. Interior Minister Daniella Misail-Nichitin said Chisinau is weighing moving Ukrainian checkpoints onto Moldovan territory.

Péter Magyar

Magyar told RTL that Ukrainian maize may cross Hungary in sealed trains bound for Western Europe. He set one condition: the cargo must only transit the country.

Donald Tusk

Tusk said Warsaw would seek an explanation from Kyiv for the drone's route across Poland. He said Poland allows no operations over its territory without its explicit consent.

Mindaugas Sinkevičius

Lithuania's prime minister said the Ukrainian drone that exploded in Pasvalys district on 18 October carried explosives and entered from Poland through the Schengen zone. Earlier drones over Lithuania had come from Belarus, not through allied airspace.

Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Editorial standards.