Donald Trump’s latest attempt to end the Ukraine war is turning into an unusually compressed diplomatic test: his two envoys are meeting Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday before traveling
Donald Trump’s latest attempt to end the Ukraine war is turning into an unusually compressed diplomatic test: his two envoys are meeting Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday before traveling directly to Kyiv for talks with Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday.
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Sept. 5 and are expected to meet Putin at the Kremlin. Trump says they are carrying a new proposal aimed at ending the war, although the details have not been disclosed.
What makes this round different is that diplomacy has already produced one tangible military consequence.
Putin and Zelensky agreed to a temporary three-day pause in strikes on Moscow and Kyiv around the U.S. mission, even as fighting continues elsewhere.
Moscow Saturday, Kyiv SundayThe schedule puts the same two U.S. negotiators in front of the two presidents roughly a day apart.
That creates something close to traditional shuttle diplomacy: Washington can hear Putin’s position directly, carry any revised terms to Kyiv and immediately test whether there is room for compromise.
The Kyiv stop is especially notable because it will be the envoys’ first visit to Ukraine, despite their repeated involvement in negotiations with Moscow. Axios reported that the trip follows months of discussion and comes after U.S.-mediated negotiations stalled earlier this year.
Our earlier coverage of Trump’s peace push showed that Washington had already begun laying groundwork through an unusual CIA channel.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow in late August and reportedly floated a possible Trump-Putin-Zelensky summit. Moscow subsequently signaled that such a meeting should come only after negotiators establish substantive terms.
That makes this weekend potentially the bridge between exploratory diplomacy and a leaders-level meeting.
The Air Truce Is Important — but It Is Not a CeasefireThe temporary halt around the capitals should not be mistaken for a broader ceasefire.
Russia and Ukraine remain far apart on the core terms of any settlement. Moscow continues to demand Ukrainian territorial concessions and opposition to NATO membership, while Kyiv rejects conditions it views as surrender. Reuters says Putin is still seeking control over the remainder of Donetsk.
Fighting has also continued outside the two capitals.
That contrast: diplomacy accelerating while battlefield pressure remains high has defined the latest U.S. effort. We previously highlighted how talks were progressing alongside intensified attacks, while European governments continue using financial sanctions to pressure Moscow.
Next 48 hoursDiplomatic significanceSaturdayWitkoff and Kushner meet Putin in MoscowSundayFirst Witkoff-Kushner visit to KyivDuring missionMoscow and Kyiv pause strikes on each other’s capitalsPossible next stepFramework for direct leaders-level talksThe key question is therefore no longer whether talks are restarting. They are.
The test is whether Washington can leave Moscow with something Kyiv is willing to negotiate, and leave Kyiv with something worth taking back to Putin.
If it can, this weekend may become the first credible route toward the three-president summit Trump has been trying to create.
