Trump envoys secure three-day halt on capital strikes from Putin, head to Kyiv for further talks

US President Donald Trump's top negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Saturday for three hours of closed-door talks, emerging with a narrow but concrete agreement: a three-day halt on strikes against each other's capitals. The envoys are now travelling to Kyiv for further discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has signalled readiness for a “substantive conversation.”

What was agreed in Moscow

The talks, which Russian state media said lasted three hours, were held in Putin’s official residence. Kremlin footage showed the Russian president greeting Witkoff and Kushner, thanking Trump for his peacemaking efforts and noting that “the current situation is not so easy.” According to the BBC, Putin said Russia would explain “how we see the situation” and that there was “quite a high level of trust” in working with the US team.

Putin adviser Yuri Ushakov described the meeting as “constructive, extremely frank,” adding that the discussions were not limited to Ukraine but also covered “economic issues and potential major, mutually beneficial Russian-American projects,” as reported by the BBC. Ushakov also noted “the Russian army's tangible advances in the combat zone” and said talks needed to address “the root causes of the conflict.”

Both the Kremlin and the White House later characterised the talks as “constructive and substantive,” according to Ukrainska Pravda, without disclosing specifics.

The most tangible outcome was a mutual commitment to refrain from strikes on each other’s capitals for three days. Putin ordered a halt on strikes against Kyiv for the duration of the US visit, according to Russian state media. Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine would likewise avoid hitting Moscow from Saturday through Monday, and expected Russia to do the same for Kyiv. However, Putin made clear that the arrangement does not extend to a broader ceasefire across the rest of Ukraine, the BBC reported.

Next stop: Kyiv

Witkoff and Kushner are expected to arrive in the Ukrainian capital on Sunday, 7 September. Zelenskyy said he had spoken with the envoys on Saturday and that “the plan for tomorrow's diplomatic engagements in Kyiv, involving the US team, has been approved. We are waiting for Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and are ready for a substantive conversation,” as quoted by the BBC.

Zelenskyy also met with Ukraine’s negotiating team on Saturday ahead of the envoys’ arrival, according to photos released by the President’s Office and reported by Ukrainska Pravda.

The Ukrainian leader has been preparing for this moment for weeks. On 31 August, after a phone call with Witkoff and Kushner, he said that “September could change a lot,” adding that “together with our partners, we must do everything possible to protect people, protect lives, and achieve peace.” He also noted that intelligence from Ukraine and its partners indicates that “the Russian leader personally wants more war,” even though “the absolute majority” of the Russian public “would agree to stop the war along the line of contact.”

Kremlin conditions for a trilateral summit

Despite the positive tone of the Moscow talks, the Kremlin remains cautious about a potential face-to-face meeting between Putin, Trump and Zelenskyy. On 30 August, Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov told journalists that such a summit is possible only to “formalise agreements,” not to negotiate them. “Agreements are not at all a primitive deal. It is a very complex settlement process consisting of a huge number of details,” Peskov said, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda. He added that it would be “absolutely pointless” for the presidents to meet to discuss details.

This position effectively raises the bar for any high-level summit: the US and Ukraine would need to produce a pre-agreed framework before Putin agrees to sit down with Zelenskyy and Trump. Axios previously reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe had proposed such a trilateral meeting during his secret trip to Moscow in August.

Patriot missiles: a long-term fix

While the diplomatic track moves forward, the US is also negotiating with Ukraine over licences to produce Patriot air defence missiles domestically. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on 2 September that talks are ongoing, but cautioned that even if a licence is granted, building factories and ramping up production “takes multiple years.” Rubio said on The Brian Kilmeade Show, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda, that “that's being negotiated as we speak … but that is not an immediate solution.” Ukraine has struggled to intercept Russian ballistic missiles due to a shortage of interceptor missiles, and the Patriot licensing deal would address a long-term need rather than the current battlefield crunch.

What it means for the war

The three-day halt on capital strikes is a small, time-limited gesture—not a ceasefire, not a breakthrough. But it is the first direct, in-person negotiation between senior US officials and Putin in months, and it signals that Washington is willing to engage Moscow directly to test the waters. For Ukraine, the key question is whether the envoys’ visit to Kyiv will yield concrete steps toward a broader halt in hostilities, or whether Russia will continue to press its slow but steady ground advances while offering only tactical pauses.

Zelenskyy’s team is preparing for “new steps,” as he put it on 31 August. The coming days will reveal whether the US envoys carry a proposal that can bridge the wide gap between Kyiv’s demand for a full Russian withdrawal and Moscow’s insistence on retaining captured territory and imposing conditions for Ukraine’s neutrality.

Sources: BBC News, BBC News (second article), Ukrainska Pravda, Ukrainska Pravda (Zelenskyy meeting team), Ukrainska Pravda (31 Aug), Ukrainska Pravda (Peskov), Ukrainska Pravda (Rubio)