US Envoys Move from Moscow to Kyiv as Putin Denies Agreement on Three‑Day Ceasefire
US figures Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have left Moscow and are expected in Kyiv for talks with Volodymyr Zelensky, as Vladimir Putin insists Russia never agreed to Ukraine’s call for a broader three‑day ceasefire.
Two American figures who held talks in Moscow are now heading toward Kyiv for a new round of discussions on the war. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner left Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport aboard a US Air Force aircraft and arrived in Rzeszow, Poland, on their way to the Ukrainian capital, according to flight‑tracking data and Ukrainian‑language reporting.
Kirill Dmitriev, described as Putin’s envoy in Russia‑US negotiations, called Witkoff and Kushner “peacemakers,” underscoring how Moscow wants to present their visit. Axios reporting cited in Ukrainian channels said that, alongside Witkoff and Kushner, officials from the US National Security Council, State Department and Treasury Department took part in talks with the Russian side.
Among them was Jean Lange, the acting head of the sanctions division at the US Treasury, according to Axios. Lange spoke with Dmitriev but did not take part in all discussions, highlighting how sanctions questions are part of the current contacts without being the only focus.
The diplomatic movements come as Russian President Vladimir Putin rejects Kyiv’s latest ceasefire initiative. He said Moscow had not agreed with Ukrainian authorities on a broader three‑day ceasefire and that such a proposal had never been discussed directly with them. At the same time, he stated that Russia would do everything in its power to ensure the security of the negotiation process and mediators.
For Kyiv, the arrival of Witkoff and Kushner from Moscow signals that Washington‑linked channels are engaging both sides in quick succession. Their meetings with President Volodymyr Zelensky will help determine what messages or proposals are carried between capitals, and whether there is any space for future arrangements on issues such as security guarantees, sanctions or localized pauses in fighting.
Future signals to watch include any additional detail from Washington, Moscow or Kyiv on the substance of these talks, and whether either side shifts its public stance on ceasefire conditions in the coming days.
Sources
- OSINT