Putin keeps US envoys waiting hours before Ukraine talks in Moscow

Talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on the Ukraine war began in Moscow on Friday evening after the Kremlin leader kept the American guests waiting for hours. Putin stated he expected the negotiations to be "not easy." The hastily arranged meeting took place in the Kremlin, with Putin conveying best wishes to President Donald Trump. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov confirmed the resumption of negotiations only after the envoys arrived, noting they carried new proposals, though no details were disclosed. Putin had spent the day inaugurating infrastructure projects and meeting party candidates before receiving the Americans. Putin ordered a three-day ceasefire for Kyiv to allow Witkoff and Kushner to visit the Ukrainian capital, where President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expects them on Sunday. Zelenskyy accused Russia of striking Kyiv airports before the visit, suggesting Moscow aimed to create uncertainty ahead of the Americans' arrival.