Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin was due to meet the two US envoys on Saturday, Russian news agencies reported, as Washington pushes for a fresh diplomatic opening. Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday for discussions on the conflict, two people familiar with the visit told Reuters.
Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev met the delegation, with a motorcade carrying Witkoff, Kushner and Dmitriev later leaving the governmental airport for the city.
Dmitriev has participated in previous meetings between Putin and the US representatives and has remained in contact with American negotiators.
The visit comes after US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington had a fresh, concrete proposal intended to end the war, now in its fifth year.
Trump did not provide details of the plan but said Witkoff and Kushner had been sent abroad to determine whether progress could be made.
“We have an idea for peace,” Trump said.
“I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two great negotiators. They've done a great job, and we sent them over to see whether or not we can get something done. And there may be a good chance that we'll do it,” he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the US envoys were expected to travel to Ukraine after their Moscow meetings. Kyiv had also proposed a temporary suspension of air attacks during the visit, urging Russia to reciprocate so that the talks could take place safely.
“Just as we did during previous diplomatic visits by the American side, we will ensure the normal functioning of Russian airspace so that the negotiators can arrive safely,” Zelenskyy had said in a social media post.
“We are looking out for them, not for Russia. There will be no air strikes from our side, and Russia must do the same, ensuring there are no air strikes from its side for the time needed to hold these talks and handle the logistical matters related to this American visit,” he added.
The diplomatic initiative follows a sharp escalation in aerial attacks. A Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s SBU security service in Kyiv on Friday, one of the most prominent targets hit during the conflict.
Zelenskyy vowed retaliation. Russian attacks elsewhere in Ukraine killed four people overnight in the Dnipropetrovsk region, while several others were wounded in attacks across the Kyiv and Mykolaiv regions.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 167 attack drones overnight, including Shahed-type and Geran drones, along with decoys and ballistic missiles. Ukrainian air defences reported shooting down or suppressing 128 drones.
Russia, meanwhile, said its forces destroyed 53 Ukrainian drones, while Russian officials reported injuries in the border region of Belgorod.
The latest diplomatic push comes amid stalled negotiations and little movement on the battlefield. Russia continues to demand that Ukraine cede territory in four regions claimed by Moscow and abandon its NATO ambitions, a position the Kremlin has described as “unshakeable”.
Both sides have also intensified long-range strikes against targets deep inside each other's territory.
The outcome of Witkoff and Kushner’s meetings could determine whether the latest US initiative produces a renewed negotiating track.
Their discussions with Putin in Moscow, followed by the planned engagement with Ukrainian officials, are expected to test whether the two sides can narrow their differences and create conditions for substantive peace talks.
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