Putin calls US envoy talks useful but no Ukraine breakthrough

Russian President Vladimir Putin held over three hours of talks Saturday with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, which a Kremlin aide called "highly useful," but no breakthrough in ending the Ukraine war was announced. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the Americans outlined settlement ideas without detailing them, while Putin stressed Russia's battlefield progress and the need to address the conflict's root causes. The envoys departed for Kyiv to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday. The talks also covered economic cooperation and potential Russian-American projects. Russia and Ukraine remain far apart, with Moscow insisting on territorial concessions and Kyiv rejecting surrender terms, while Putin ordered a three-day pause on strikes against Kyiv during the visit.