US envoys hold three-hour Putin talks, head to Kyiv with no breakthrough

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held over three hours of talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, with no breakthrough announced, as they head to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov called the talks "substantive, constructive and extremely frank" and "highly useful," noting the envoys outlined settlement ideas while Putin reaffirmed readiness for a political solution. Russia has ordered no strikes on Kyiv for three days during the visit. Separately, Ukraine is urging Europe to unlock €210bn in frozen Russian assets to cover a €27bn defence gap, while global food prices hit their highest level since November 2022 due to Black Sea grain disruptions.