US envoys meet Putin in Moscow for Ukraine peace talks
US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Thursday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, following two days of trilateral negotiations in the UAE that yielded no breakthrough in the nearly five-year Ukraine war. The meeting, which includes Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev, aims to persuade Moscow to involve European partners in peace talks, though Russia remains opposed. The US cited lingering differences on territory but progress on post-war security guarantees, while Kyiv rejects Putin’s demands to surrender the Donbas region. The visit coincides with a European Political Community summit in Dublin, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and over 40 leaders are discussing security. Kushner and Witkoff plan to meet Zelenskyy on Friday, while the EU announced new sanctions against Russia on Monday targeting 150 entities and 50 banks.