In what can only be described as a masterclass in diplomatic multitasking, Russian President Vladimir Putin kicked off talks with US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff in the Kremlin on Saturday, aiming to end a war that has now dragged on for over four years. The talks came with a side order of irony: both sides vowed not to strike each other's capitals for three days, as if a temporary pause in bombing capitals is the diplomatic equivalent of a ceasefire.
The visit was part of Washington's latest attempt to revive US-led negotiations to end what has been Europe's worst conflict since World War II. US President Donald Trump, who made ending the war a priority in his second term (with results that could politely be described as 'modest'), teased a new proposal on Friday, though he offered no details - because why ruin the suspense?
Putin, in a grand Kremlin hall, welcomed the envoys with the warmth of a man who has been at this for a while, saying, "Dear colleagues, I warmly welcome you to Moscow. The situation is, of course, not simple." He then asked them to convey his best wishes and gratitude to President Trump - presumably for keeping the conversation going despite the lack of progress.
The talks unfold against a backdrop of escalating violence, with civilian deaths and attacks on the rise this summer. The war, which Russia launched in 2022, has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions. Ukrainian officials reported that Russian strikes on Saturday killed at least seven people, including in the Kyiv suburbs - a detail that adds a certain piquancy to the Kremlin's announcement that it would not strike Kyiv from midnight Saturday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who had offered a truce during the US visits, reciprocated by promising not to strike Moscow from now until Monday. "From now through the end of Saturday, as well as on Sunday and Monday, Ukraine is ready to refrain from strikes on Moscow," he said on social media. Because nothing says 'good faith' like a 72-hour promise not to blow up each other's capitals.
The two envoys, who have both visited Moscow before and met Putin in January, are expected to make their first trip to Kyiv on Sunday. Zelenskyy said he had spoken to them and expected them in the Ukrainian capital. But even as they prepared to travel, Russia struck Kyiv's two airports overnight - an act Zelenskyy characterized as an attempt to disrupt the visit. "Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the US side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine," he wrote on X. Officials visiting Ukraine have typically traveled by train, since Ukrainian airspace has been closed since 2022.
Meanwhile, the gaps between the two sides remain as vast as the Eastern European steppe. The Kremlin reiterated its position from two years ago: Ukraine should cede four regions claimed by Russia and forgo NATO membership. Ukraine finds this intolerable, which is diplomatic shorthand for 'not happening'.
In a war that has seen ground troops locked in a stalemate along a 775-mile (1,250km) frontline, both sides have intensified aerial attacks, hitting increasingly distant targets. Ukraine has struck Russian military facilities, oil refineries, and even e-commerce warehouses - because nothing says 'degrade the war effort' like disrupting online shopping. The strikes on oil refineries have led to fuel shortages and higher prices at the pump in Russia, which is a novel form of economic warfare.
Friday brought more violence: a Russian drone hit the headquarters of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), prompting Zelenskyy to vow retaliation. Russian strikes killed five people and wounded five more at a factory in the southern Dnipropetrovsk region, according to Oleksandr Hanzha, the local military administration head. He noted that the victims were employees "doing their job when enemy missiles cut off their lives." Elsewhere, a 62-year-old man was injured in an attack on the Nikopol district, and a shopping centre in the Mykolaiv region was damaged, injuring a 72-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl.
Ukraine's air force reported that Russia launched ballistic missiles and 167 drones overnight, including jet-powered UAVs, and that Ukrainian defences managed to disable 128 of them. Russia's defence ministry, meanwhile, claimed it had shot down 53 Ukrainian drones. Because in this war, the numbers are as contested as the territory.
As the envoys prepare to visit Kyiv, one can only hope they bring more than just good wishes. The world watches with bated breath - and perhaps a hint of déjà vu - as the latest round of talks gets underway.