Putin and US envoys hold Kremlin talks to revive Ukraine peace efforts

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin on Saturday for talks aimed at reviving stalled peace efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, with both sides agreeing to pause strikes on each other's capitals during the discussions. The closed-door meeting lasted more than three hours, marking the envoys' first visit to Moscow since January. Putin asked the envoys to convey his gratitude to President Donald Trump, while both sides continued aerial attacks elsewhere, including Russian strikes that killed civilians in multiple Ukrainian regions overnight. The U.S. envoys are scheduled to visit Kyiv on Sunday for the first time in the peace process. The talks come as Washington's focus has shifted to the Iran war over the past six months, and as Russia has intensified bombardments on Ukrainian cities amid Kyiv's shortage of air defense systems.