Russian President Receives U.S. Counterpart's Envoy to Discuss Resolution of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Moscow, Sept 5 (KUNA) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin received on Saturday the special envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff, and American businessman and investor Jared Kushner, to discuss efforts to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Putin affirmed Moscow’s readiness to continue working with the U.S. side, stressing the importance of trust and the quality of mediation in the negotiation process.
In an official statement, the Russian presidency said that Putin described the situation to be discussed during the talks as “not simple,” and expressed appreciation for the efforts made by President Trump to contribute to resolving the conflict. He asked Witkoff to convey his best wishes and words of gratitude to the U.S. president.
The statement added that Putin expressed the Russian side’s satisfaction with working with the U.S. delegation, noting that the level of trust in this process is “very high.” He pointed out that Witkoff intends to travel to Kyiv after Moscow, and that such communications are “always beneficial,” especially with reliable mediation and trust among the parties concerned.
For his part, Witkoff conveyed President Trump’s best wishes to Putin and thanked the Russian president for receiving the U.S. delegation, noting that the time he spent in negotiations with Russian officials would be a memorable experience. Witkoff also conveyed to Putin the gratitude of the family of American citizen Robert “Bob” Gillman, who had been detained in Russia for more than four years before his release and return to the United States, for assistance in securing his release. Putin clarified that the request for Gillman’s release was made by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Witkoff expressed Russia’s gratitude for agreeing to a three-day ceasefire based on no strikes on Kyiv or Moscow, which allows the U.S. delegation to conduct its movements and negotiations safely during this period. Putin explained that the request to halt strikes on Kyiv reached Moscow through official channels, including intelligence agencies and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and confirmed that he issued the necessary order and that strikes on Kyiv ceased as of midnight yesterday. He said that Ukraine had significantly reduced, by about tenfold, the number of attacks on Russian territory, including Moscow.
Putin added that Ukrainian authorities had called for a broader three-day ceasefire, but Russia had not agreed to this arrangement. At the same time, he affirmed that Moscow would do its utmost to ensure the safety of the negotiation process and the mediators involved, including Witkoff and anyone accompanying him.
On the Russian side, the talks are being represented by Presidential Assistant Yuri Ushakov, the President’s Special Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries, and Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. Jared Kushner is participating on the U.S. side.
The visit comes amid a new U.S. diplomatic push to revive efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Moscow today to hold talks with Russian officials before heading to Kyiv, according to TASS news agency. (End) D.A.N./R.J.
