U.S. envoys Witkoff and Kushner to meet Putin in Moscow on peace bid

U.S. special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff said he and Jared Kushner will travel to Moscow on Thursday to meet President Vladimir Putin to discuss a U.S.-proposed plan aimed at ending the nearly four-year war in Ukraine. Witkoff announced the trip from the World Economic Forum in Davos, saying the invitation itself signaled Moscow’s willingness to engage.

“The Russians have invited us to come and that’s a significant statement from them,” Witkoff said, adding the envoys would “leave Thursday night and arrive in Moscow late at night.” The Kremlin confirmed the meeting through spokesman Dmitry Peskov, and Russian state outlets reported that on the sidelines of Davos the envoys held a two-hour session with Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev that TASS described as “constructive” or “positive.”

Witkoff said he planned to meet Ukrainian officials on Wednesday evening before flying to Moscow and that he would travel next to the United Arab Emirates for follow-up “working groups.” He characterized recent negotiations as having made “lots of progress,” describing a process of “massaging” and “harmonizing” a U.S.-led 20-point plan. When asked whether a deal was possible, he said simply, “I do.”

The envoys are attempting to bridge a set of core disagreements that have long stymied diplomacy. Multiple interlocutors identify arrangements over territory as the principal remaining obstacle. Witkoff called land deals “the 800 lb elephant in the room,” adding that the U.S. team has “very, very good ideas” to try to resolve those issues. Kremlin thinking, as reported by officials familiar with Moscow’s stance, places particular value on U.S. readiness to accept Russian control of Crimea and other territories seized since 2014; that preference is shaping how Moscow approaches compromise.

The prospect of a negotiated settlement has already provoked alarm in Kyiv and among European capitals. A separate set of leaked U.S. draft proposals last week, described internally as 28 draft items, prompted criticism that Washington was acquiescing to core Russian demands. European leaders circulated counterproposals reportedly designed to shore up Ukrainian sovereignty. Russian commentary quoted Mr. Putin as dismissing those counterproposals as “absolutely unacceptable” and warning of the consequences of confrontation.

The coming Moscow talks will test whether the envoys can turn technical harmonization into political commitments. Key questions include whether the meeting will produce agreed text, only a framework for further talks, or merely exploratory exchanges; which specific territorial arrangements, if any, might be included; and whether any U.S. formulations would amount to de facto or de jure recognition of Russian control over parts of Ukrainian territory.

The stakes extend beyond a bilateral U.S.-Russia alignment. Formal or tacit recognition of territorial transfers would raise profound issues of international law, unsettle allied unity, and risk alienating Kyiv even as it seeks security and reconstruction guarantees. Witkoff stressed the White House’s priority on a settlement, saying President Donald Trump remains “focused on that peace deal” and that negotiating a settlement is a “very, very important part” of his agenda.

Diplomacy in the coming days will be measured against that political backdrop, with Brussels and Kyiv watching for both substance and process. Any progress in Moscow would likely be followed by multilateral consultations in the UAE and beyond as parties seek to translate talks into enforceable mechanisms and guarantees.