Ukraine Peace Talks: No Deal Reached, More War Expected

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held more than three hours of talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Sept. 5, marking their first visit to the city since January. In recent months, the war in Ukraine has received less attention as Washington has focused U.S. foreign policy and military resources on the conflict with Iran. The Moscow visit was intended to revive negotiations that had been stalled for nearly eight months. The Kremlin meeting concluded without an immediate announcement about its outcome. Putin's adviser Yuri Ushakov described the talks as 'constructive and extremely frank.' He said the two sides discussed resolving the war, economic issues, and potential 'mutually beneficial Russian-American projects.' Ushakov told Russian reporters that 'note was made of the Russian army's tangible advances in the combat zone.' The passive, unattributed phrasing is typical of Kremlin readouts of closed-door diplomatic sessions. Moscow was placing its military progress on the record with the Americans, likely to project strength and shape its negotiating position. Ushakov added that the talks needed to address the 'root causes' of the conflict. 'Root causes' is longstanding Kremlin language, used since before the 2022 invasion, for Russia's underlying justifications for the war. These include Ukraine's NATO aspirations and broader Western military alignment; Ukraine's governance and political orientation, which Russia has at times framed around 'denazification' and the protection of Russian speakers; and the post-Cold War security architecture in Europe, which Russia argues expanded NATO into its sphere. In this framing, Russia's demands go beyond retaining the territory it currently occupies. They also include Ukraine renouncing NATO membership and reducing the size of its armed forces. Moscow separately said it remains confident that it can achieve its military objective of seizing the remainder of eastern Ukraine. Keep reading