United States envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday, September 5, 2026, to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The visit is part of a proposal from President Donald Trump to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Following the arrival of the U.S. delegation, both Russia and Ukraine agreed to a temporary pause in airstrikes targeting their respective capital cities, Moscow and Kyiv.
The diplomatic push follows a period of increased long-range missile and drone attacks between the two nations. On Friday, September 4, a Russian drone struck the headquarters of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in central Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated the attack targeted the office of the agency’s acting chief and noted it was the first such strike on the headquarters since the full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022.
During the meeting at the Kremlin, Putin described the situation in Ukraine as "not simple" and requested the envoys convey his gratitude to Mr. Trump. Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Putin ordered a three-day halt on strikes against Kyiv starting at midnight on Saturday. Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine would refrain from strikes on Moscow through Monday, noting he spoke with the U.S. delegation on Saturday afternoon.
The scale of this diplomatic effort involves high-level representatives from three nations. While specific financial terms of the peace proposal were not reported, the mission marks the first time these U.S. envoys have traveled to Ukraine since Mr. Trump returned to office. The move follows a previous five-hour meeting between the same U.S. duo and Putin in December 2025, which did not result in a breakthrough. The renewed negotiations occur against the backdrop of a separate six-month conflict between the U.S. and Iran that began in February 2026.
What happens next depends on the outcome of the envoys' scheduled visit to Kyiv on Sunday, September 6. The current pause in strikes on Moscow is set to expire at the end of Monday, while the Russian halt on Kyiv strikes is scheduled for a three-day duration. The success of these talks may determine if the temporary ceasefire in the capitals leads to a broader negotiation framework or if long-range aerial attacks resume after the Monday deadline.