US Envoys Visit Kyiv After Moscow Talks With Putin

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are heading to Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after a late-night, three-hour meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, aiming to end the conflict now in its fifth year. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov called the Moscow talks "substantive, very frank, and constructive," adding the envoys presented US ideas for a settlement and promised to relay Putin's views to Kyiv. Russia reiterated its insistence on resolving "root causes," code for ending Ukraine's NATO hopes, which Kyiv has long rejected. The Kyiv visit marks the envoys' first to Ukraine in their peacemaking roles, following a renewed diplomatic push. Both sides agreed to temporary strike halts on each other's capitals, though Russia continued attacks elsewhere, and Ukrainian airspace remains closed to regular flights.