Top negotiators for U.S. President Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday to discuss a proposal aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. The meeting, held at the Kremlin, is part of escalating efforts by the U.S. and its allies to broker a peace deal.

Footage released by the Kremlin showed Putin greeting the U.S. envoys, acknowledging that "the current situation is not so easy." He stated that Russia would "explain how we see the situation." The talks are continuing behind closed doors.

Witkoff reportedly thanked Putin for agreeing to a three-day halt on strikes targeting each other's capitals, a measure that began on Sunday. This reciprocal de-escalation is seen as a crucial step in the diplomatic process. The U.S. envoys are scheduled to travel to Kyiv on Sunday for further discussions.

The visit by Witkoff and Kushner to Moscow follows previous diplomatic engagements, though their planned talks in Kyiv will mark the first time they have met with Ukrainian leadership on Ukrainian soil. The U.S. has been actively involved in seeking a resolution to the conflict, with previous efforts from the U.S. and its allies to broker a peace deal having thus far failed.

President Putin expressed that "such contacts are undoubtedly always useful" and thanked President Trump for his peacemaking efforts. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed he had spoken with the U.S. envoys, who had already begun working with the Russian side. Zelensky stated that Ukraine is prepared for a "substantive conversation" and confirmed readiness to refrain from strikes on Moscow through the end of Saturday and into Sunday and Monday, expecting Russia to reciprocate regarding Kyiv.

Russian state media reported that President Putin had ordered a halt to strikes on Kyiv for three days, coinciding with the U.S. delegation's visit. However, Zelensky indicated that Russia had launched "demonstrative strikes" on airports in Kyiv and Boryspil overnight, suggesting these actions were a reaction to the possibility of the U.S. side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine.

Zelensky had previously guaranteed the safety of Russian airspace during the envoys' visit and called for reciprocal guarantees from Russia. He also reported that an overnight Russian strike on a civilian building in the Dnipro region had resulted in four fatalities and five injuries, highlighting the ongoing violence.

The U.S. envoys' presence in Moscow comes shortly after a visit to the Russian capital by the head of the CIA. The specifics of the U.S. envoys' travel arrangements from Moscow to Kyiv remain unclear, given the closure of Ukraine's airspace since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.