Putin says Ukraine conflict complex, pledges mediator safety
AM730 · 2 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Russian President Vladimir Putin met US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin for more than three hours on Saturday, as the United States tried to advance a new phase of Russia-Ukraine peace efforts. Putin said the situation in Ukraine was not simple, but praised US President Donald Trump for continuing mediation efforts and said Moscow trusted Witkoff and Kushner as intermediaries. Russia said it rejected a broader three-day ceasefire proposed by Ukraine, but agreed to suspend attacks on Kyiv for three days after a request from Kyiv, while Ukraine said it would immediately stop attacks on Moscow until Monday. The White House said substantive arrangements for the next stage of ending the war had been discussed and a further plan could be announced in the coming weeks
Key Points
- Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday and held a closed-door Kremlin meeting with Putin lasting more than three hours before heading to Kyiv.
- Putin asked the visitors to pass on his greetings and thanks to Trump, saying the Ukraine crisis was complex and could not be solved easily.
- Moscow said it did not accept Kyiv’s proposal for a wider three-day ceasefire, but would do everything possible to protect mediators and talks.
- According to the Russian side, attacks on Kyiv were paused from 12am Saturday for three days, while Ukraine said it would halt strikes on Moscow until Monday.
- Zelensky said Witkoff and Kushner would visit Kyiv on Sunday for substantive talks, even as Russian strikes reportedly continued in other Ukrainian regions.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the immediate significance is that the latest US shuttle diplomacy has produced only a narrow, temporary arrangement around the two capitals rather than a broader ceasefire. That suggests the war’s core disputes remain unresolved even as Washington says a next-stage peace framework may emerge within weeks, leaving global political and market uncertainty in place