Trump Envoys Meet Putin in Kremlin to Push for Russia-Ukraine Peace Deal

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Thursday, seeking to revive peace efforts in the Russia-Ukraine war after two days of U.S.-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi produced no major breakthrough. The Abu Dhabi negotiations, the first direct Russian-Ukrainian discussions in nine months, yielded only an agreement on a large prisoner swap with the exact figure pending. Kushner and Witkoff are scheduled to fly to Dublin for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as the conflict nears its five-year mark. Putin reiterated that European troops in Ukraine after a ceasefire would be "absolutely unacceptable" and a security threat, warning war would resume. Zelenskyy, meeting European leaders in Dublin, insisted Ukraine won't surrender occupied territory, while reporting new disruptions to the U.S. Starshield satellite system affecting Ukrainian drone operations.