ISTANBUL
US presidential advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner began talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday, with a US media report claiming that Washington is making effort to secure support for its updated 19-point Ukraine peace plan.
The meeting — Kushner’s first participation in direct talks with Putin — comes after two weeks of intensive diplomacy that included two negotiation rounds between US and Ukrainian delegations.
Two sources cited by Axios said Witkoff and Kushner were expected to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Europe on Wednesday about the talks at Kremlin.
The US plan, initially 28 points, was narrowed down during recent discussions with Kyiv, focusing primarily on defining a de facto border under a potential ceasefire.
Putin has previously said Trump’s proposal could serve as a basis for negotiations, though he signaled reluctance to shift from Russia’s longstanding demands, including control over the entire Donbas region.
The US is said to have urged Ukraine to cede territory there to move the process forward — a concession described as politically painful for Kyiv.
During weekend talks in Florida, Zelensky’s national security adviser Rustem Umerov met Witkoff, Kushner, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, where the Ukrainian side briefed Washington on battlefield realities. Zelensky later said the 19-point proposal had been “further revised” following those discussions.
Witkoff also held additional meetings with Umerov on Sunday evening and Monday morning before traveling to Moscow, according to Axios.