Donald Trump’s latest effort to end Russia’s war in Ukraine is moving from Moscow to Kyiv after his top envoys spent three hours behind closed doors with Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin called the meeting constructive and signalled room for further talks, but Moscow also repeated several of its central demands.
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, and Jared Kushner, the US president’s son-in-law and adviser, met Putin at the Kremlin on Saturday as Washington renewed its attempt to broker an end to the war.
Trump had said beforehand that the pair were carrying “a proposal to end the war”, while footage released by the Kremlin showed Putin acknowledging at the start of the meeting that the situation was “not so easy”. The talks lasted around three hours before the American delegation left Moscow for Kyiv, where Witkoff and Kushner are due to meet the Ukrainian leadership on Sunday.
A noticeably warmer tone from Moscow
The most striking feature of the meeting was the tone that followed it. Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yury Ushakov, described the discussions as “substantive, very frank and constructive” and said several ideas for a possible peace settlement had been discussed.
Putin himself said direct contacts with the Americans were useful and spoke of a high level of trust in the negotiating relationship, according to BBC.
Witkoff also thanked Putin for the temporary restraint on strikes against Kyiv during the US visit, while the Russian president thanked Trump for his peace efforts.
The discussions were not limited to Ukraine. Ushakov said economic cooperation and potential large-scale Russian-American projects were also discussed, suggesting that both sides are looking beyond the immediate battlefield to the wider relationship between Moscow and Washington.
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But the hardest disagreements remain
The warmer rhetoric does not amount to a breakthrough. Ushakov said Putin again stressed what Moscow calls the “root causes” of the conflict and argued that Russia remained confident it could achieve its military objectives.
Russia still occupies roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, while Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart over territory, security guarantees and Ukraine’s future relationship with NATO.
The BBC noted that despite Russia’s repeated claims of battlefield momentum, its ground forces have generally advanced slowly and at enormous cost.
Al Jazeera also reported a somewhat less pessimistic mood around this round of diplomacy, partly because the Kremlin believes Russia currently holds the military advantage. At the same time, its Moscow correspondent noted that Putin has shown no sign of abandoning his main conditions for a settlement.
A limited pause in strikes – not a ceasefire
The US mission has coincided with a temporary halt in attacks on the two capitals.
The Kremlin said Putin had ordered Russian forces not to strike Kyiv for three days from midnight on Saturday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine, in turn, would refrain from attacks on Moscow through Monday. The arrangement is highly limited and does not amount to a nationwide ceasefire.
New – Kyiv talks end without breakthrough as Zelenskyy expects war to continue through winter
The talks in Kyiv did not produce a breakthrough, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine expects the war with Russia to continue through the winter. After meeting US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Zelenskyy said the discussions focused on winter assistance, security and economic guarantees, as well as additional Patriot air defence support. The sides also discussed the possibility of future trilateral talks involving the United States, Ukraine and Russia, although no date or venue was agreed. Zelenskyy said that while the meeting had not brought a decisive result, the resumption of diplomatic negotiations was in itself a positive step. He also stressed that any eventual settlement must provide Ukraine with security guarantees and a peace that would prevent renewed Russian aggression.
If you missed it: Putin adviser claims Ukraine could lose Transcarpathia, calls Western Ukraine a ‘den of evil’
Do not trust any statements from Putin, Trump, Witkoff or Kushner. Trump’s means of getting a peace agreement has been basically to get Ukraine to surrender and submit to Putin’s demands. He has put next to no pressure on Putin all this time while pressuring Zelenskyy repeatedly. You really have to wonder about how Trump has been in Putin’s pocket all these years.
I agree with your assessment. Trump was compromised when he visited Moscow in the late 80’s as he searched for funding for his Plaza hotel and other projects because nobody in America would lend him the money. He secured ridiculous amounts of money and sold apartments at crazy prices to Russian mafia/oligarchs who bailed him out while laundering $billions. He was allegedly filmed in what only can be described as a compromising position in his hotel room in Moscow with certain others. Said hotel just happened to be adjacent to the KGB HQ.
Coincidence? Nah. Trump is a Russian asset 100%
The fact is that, as the fifth year of the war begins, the warring parties hold diametrically opposed views regarding the war’s outcome. A source close to the Kremlin had previously stated that Putin’s territorial ambitions remain unchanged.
“There is no prospect of an agreement on the frontline as long as Putin has not completed the consolidation of the remaining territory in the Donetsk region,” the source emphasized. Furthermore, the Kremlin leader—relying on reports from his commanders—is reportedly confident that this will happen before the end of the year.
Western military analysts consider such a scenario unlikely, given the slow pace of the Russian troops’ advance. Kyiv refuses to cede territory defended at the cost of enormous losses and views such demands as tantamount to capitulation.
The Kremlin has reaffirmed that the demands Putin laid out two years ago—the cession of the entire territory of the four claimed regions to Russia and the abandonment of the path toward NATO membership—remain “non-negotiable.”
Trump and his amateur negotiators are primarily concerned with their own economic gain—anticipating benefits from cooperation with Russia and the exploitation of Ukrainian raw materials following a ceasefire—even at the expense of Ukraine’s freedom and to the detriment of European nations.
This is a highly shortsighted assessment of the situation that would not lead to an end to the war; yet Trump presumably believes—assuming his grasp on reality is not completely severed—that he is far enough removed from the theater of conflict. Moreover, the US faces the additional, tricky issue of Iran—a problem it cannot solve alone and for which it hopes to secure Russia’s goodwill.
‘The fact is that, as the fifth year of the war begins, the warring parties hold diametrically opposed views regarding the war’s outcome. A source close to the Kremlin had previously stated that Putin’s territorial ambitions remain unchanged.’
Yes, you are so right, Dear Peter – both sides are diametrically opposed, and, therefore, war is the only solution. I do respectfully disagree with your notion of President Putin having territorial ambitions. He has none – this because Russia already has more territory than they can think what to do with. No, Sir – what Putin has is a desire to have bordering countries not be used as violent subversive springboards against The Russian People. When The Western Elite learns to respect this reality, peace will reign. Until then, war will reign – a war which Russia is winning and will win. It really is a no-brainer, unless, of course, one belongs to The Western Elite; they for whom agreeing to neutral zones between Europe and Russia is an inscrutable riddle for the ages.
😂😂😂😂
AI russian bot Mouton
we missed you
As the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) recently reported, Russian troops conducted offensive operations along various sectors of the front over the past few days. Ukrainian defense forces successfully repelled the Russian attacks. In other words, there was no actual change on the ground. Claims by the Russian military leadership regarding alleged territorial gains—90% of which have historically proven false upon later verification—were nothing more than propaganda lies.
Overview:
On September 4 and 5, Russian forces continued limited offensive operations in the northern Sumy region, but no confirmed territorial gains were made. At the same time—according to a source linked to the Russian Northern Military District—Ukrainian defenders are advancing along the railway line between Taratutino and Ryasne, southeast of Sumy.
Occupying forces also launched attacks in the northern Kharkiv region and the Velykyi Burluk area but failed to achieve any success.
According to a Russian source, Ukrainian forces are conducting counterattacks and reclaiming lost positions near Hoptivka and Kudiivka.
In the Kupyansk sector, Russian troops continued offensive operations on September 4 and 5 but made no confirmed territorial gains.
Occupying forces also conducted offensive operations in the Sloviansk sector on September 4 and 5 but recorded no confirmed advances.
In the Donbas, occupying forces undertook limited offensive operations but failed to achieve any territorial gains on September 4 and 5.
Additionally, Ukrainian forces continued to carry out medium-range strikes against Russian military targets in the occupied territories of the Donbas. In the Huliaipole sector, Russian troops continued their offensive operations on September 4 and 5 but made no confirmed advances.
At the same time, Ukrainian forces carried out medium-range strikes against Russian logistics in the occupied areas of the Zaporizhzhia region.
These actions claimed the lives of numerous Russian soldiers, as Ukraine conducts these attacks primarily using drones, thereby minimizing its own losses.
Consequently, there is a risk that if Ukraine does not yield to Russian demands for capitulation, Putin will be forced to announce at least a partial mobilization following Russia’s elections in September.
Volunteer recruitment is steadily declining—despite massive financial incentives—and currently meets no more than 60% of requirements (with volunteers being predominantly foreign nationals). This will further exacerbate the labor shortage within Russia’s private sector.
https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-5-2026/
‘As the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) recently reported, Russian troops conducted offensive operations along various sectors of the front over the past few days. Ukrainian defense forces successfully repelled the Russian attacks’.
Please, Dear Peter, discontinue your visitations to the ISW, for they are lying their asses off. The truth? Despite bravery and almost superhuman determination, Ukrainian troops, and their western allies, are not successfully repelling the majority of Russian attacks, as the map shows the Ukrainians are increasingly stuck in vast cauldrons all up and down the long line. No, Sir – the Ukrainians are not only considerably outnumbered, they, according to their own officers, do not even have a fraction of ammo or artillery with which to reply to attacks.
Russian Z-propagandists acknowledge that Ukrainian counterattacks are taking place in the Liman area Ukrainian counterattacks are taking place, and they criticize the culture of lying in reports on the situation at the front that is widespread within the Russian armed forces.
This is noted in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Yesterday, September 9, Russian military correspondents stated that the situation on the Lyman front is increasingly deteriorating for Russian troops and that Russian forces were forced to retreat from unidentified forward positions in the area.
“A Russian military blogger claimed that Ukrainian forces had been conducting counterattacks in this area for several months, even though reports from the Russian military command and maps from other military correspondents reflected an ‘optimistic view’ of the situation,” — notes the ISW.
They even coined a term to describe the culture of lies and disinformation about the situation on the front lines that is widespread within the Russian armed forces—“good news”—emphasizing that such things should be “absolutely prohibited.”
ISW points out that Ukrainian forces recently demonstrated full control over Svyatogorsk (northwest of Lyman), and this occurred just a few days after Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Russian forces controlled the town.
At the same time, Russian military correspondents acknowledged the accuracy of the Ukrainian refutation of the information regarding Svyatogorsk. The Institute for the Study of War notes that Russian bloggers are increasingly expressing frustration over false claims by Russian officials regarding advances, particularly in the Lyman sector, and point out that such false reports create operational risks for Russian forces.
The ISW emphasizes that the current length of the front line in the Lyman sector remains unclear due to the limited amount of publicly available evidence of Ukrainian troop advances during the recent counteroffensive.
“ISW’s mapping methodology underestimates the likely scale of Ukrainian gains in the ongoing counterattacks in the Lyman sector. Additional publicly available information will likely reveal their full extent over time,” the Institute’s report states.
It is clear to me who the liar is here—and it certainly isn’t the ISW.
Yuri Ushakov , an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin , described what the Kremlin leader discussed with Trump’s special representatives Steve Whitcroft and Jared Kushner in Moscow regarding the war in Ukraine. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine citing Russian media.
“The conversation lasted more than three hours—three hours and ten minutes, to be exact. It was substantive, constructive, extremely frank, and candid. The discussion on extremely serious issues took place both at the conference table and in an informal setting over lunch,” said Ushakov.
He also made a number of other statements:
Whitcoff and Kushner promised to use, in their meetings today in Kyiv, the assessments expressed by Putin regarding ways to resolve the war;
U.S. representatives have thoroughly prepared for their trip to Moscow and have formulated a number of proposals regarding the resolution;
Putin and Trump will maintain personal contact, and efforts through Whitcoff and Kushner will also continue;
At his meeting with Whitcroft and Kushner, Putin noted the alleged “successes” of Russian forces in the war and expressed confidence that its objectives would be achieved;
At a meeting with Whitcoff and Kushner, Putin emphasized the need to eliminate all the root causes of the war;
Putin’s talks with Whitcoff and Kushner were not limited to Ukraine; potential major Russian-American projects were also discussed.
https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/putina-rozkrili-detali-peregovoriv-iz-vitkoffom-1788645241.html
In my opinion, this is yet another stillborn product of American wishful thinking.
Very accurate comments here, Dear Peter. Only I would add that it is not the Americans who are engaging in ‘wishful thinking’ but, rather, it is President Trump who is trying to find a way to find a way out of an increasingly embarassing situation that, in addition to the burdens of the Iran fight, stand in the way of his wishes to begin a more productive relationship between the American and Russian Empires. President Trump has clearly given up on the idea of using border wars to attempts to dismember Russia, and, instead, has adjusted his view to the fact that getting along with them is infinitely more doable than warring with them.
” President Trump has clearly given up on the idea of using border wars to attempts to dismember Russia”
That’s an idea that never even crossed his mind. Putin had already made provisions for that back when Trump was visiting Russia before his presidency. We shall see what future generations conclude about Trump’s motivations once Mouton is no longer on Russian soil.
“The real ‘root causes’ of the war are Putin himself, his decision to occupy Crimea in 2014, and the full-scale invasion in 2022. This is the first time I agree with Putin: the real ‘root causes’ of the war must be eliminated!” European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius emphasized.
‘The real ‘root causes’ of the war are Putin himself, his decision to occupy Crimea in 2014, and the full-scale invasion in 2022.”
No, Dear Peter, there is almost no reality in this statement. This is not Putin’s war, but, that of the Neo-Cons in Washington and London, who still cannot imagine that they do not control the world.
I know—and there’s a fair in heaven.
You remind me of a picture I saw a long time ago. Santa Claus and his helper, Knecht Ruprecht—both of them very old—are pushing a sleigh full of gifts together through the deep snow on Christmas Eve.
Then Santa says to Knecht Ruprecht:
“There was something about December 24th, wasn’t there?”
And Knecht Ruprecht replies:
“It’ll come to me.”
President Putin has his eye on positive relations with the Trump Administration, after the situation in The Ukraine is resolved to Russia’s satisfaction. That said, he offered no concessions, because making concessions has gotten Russia less than nothing for 12 years (Since the legitimately elected Ukrainian Government was overthrown by the CIA/MI6 Victoria Nuland-led Maidan Spring) Soon enough, though it still may not have dawned on many of The Western Elite, there will be a Viktor Yanukovich style government in Kiev, or, if there is not, Kiev will simply be returned to what it was for 1,000 years – a lovely ornament in The Russian Empire, the symbol of it’s historic beginnings, the same destiny as that of Odessa.
😂😂😂😂😂
Radzs ! You are a moron !!!!
Your remarks are of a remarkable caliber, Anna M. In terms of both level and tone, they clearly veer toward the kind of gutter language common among Fidesz supporters.
If I didn’t know this was merely unimaginative, stupid, and vacuous propaganda designed solely to provoke, I’d say: keep on dreaming. As it stands, your propaganda simply reveals how stupid you think we all are—believing that we might actually buy into even the slightest part of what you’re writing. It also exposes your own limited intellect. Go right ahead, but it remains nonsense nonetheless.
“Die Welt” reports that Putin’s elites are moving their money to safety!
“Grey” capital flight in Russia hit a record high in the second quarter, leaving even the central bank baffled. At the same time, the central bank itself is selling gold at record levels.
Citing central bank data, the “Moscow Times” reports that this capital flight amounted to $12.2 billion in the second quarter. This represents not only a 770 percent jump compared to the first quarter but also the highest quarterly figure since records began in 1994. It means that one in every ten dollars of export revenue ($125.7 billion in the second quarter)—or one-third of the trade surplus ($38.3 billion)—has flowed out of the country. On top of this, there is export revenue that never reaches Russia in the first place and instead disappears abroad.
Vasily Astrov, a Russia economist at the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW), sees this capital flight confirmed by the recent sell-off of Russian stocks and bonds, as he told “Die Welt.” The surge in capital flight is a “consequence of general nervousness and concern regarding the near future,” explained Oleg Vyugin, a former deputy central bank chief, in a Russian radio interview. Rumors circulating about potential bank deposit freezes and a new mobilization order are contributing to this anxiety. “People want to get a certain amount of money to safety somehow,” Vyugin said.
In addition, wealthy Russians close to Putin are increasingly moving money abroad again—specifically to the Arabian Peninsula, Cyprus, and even Africa—Bloomberg reported in July. Statistics show that they are also increasingly purchasing real estate in places like Dubai.
The uncertainty in Russia stems in part from the fact that the budget deficit caused by the war in Ukraine amounts to 5.8 trillion rubles—or 2.5 percent of gross domestic product—according to new estimates by the Ministry of Finance. The target for the year had been 1.6 percent of GDP.
To plug the gap, the Russian central bank recently became the largest seller of gold among all central banks.
Taken together, all this demonstrates that Russia’s position is far less stable than official Russian sources would have us believe. Here, too, the tradition of lying is widespread.