Posted on 09/05/2026 8:52:03 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
US President Donald Trump's top negotiators have met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, as efforts to end the war in Ukraine gather pace.
Footage released by the Kremlin showed Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner being greeted by Putin, who said the current situation "is not so easy".
Witkoff thanked Putin for agreeing with Ukraine to halt strikes on each other's capitals for three days. On Sunday the envoys will travel to Kyiv for more talks - their first such visit to Ukraine's capital.
On Friday, Trump said Witkoff and Kushner were "bringing with them a proposal to end the war". So far, efforts by the US and its allies to broker a peace deal have failed.
At Saturday's talks in the Kremlin, Putin also said that "whatever happens, such contacts are undoubtedly always useful". He also thanked Trump for his peacemaking efforts.
He told the envoys that he was "comfortable" working with them, adding: "Of course on our side there is quite a high level of trust during this work."
The talks – held behind closed doors in Putin's official residence in the heart of the Russian capital – lasted for three hours, according to Russian state media.
Details are still emerging, but Putin adviser Yuri Ushakov described the talks as "constructive, extremely frank".
"The talks were not limited to an exchange of views on resolving the Ukrainian crisis - economic issues and potential major, mutually beneficial Russian-American projects were discussed in considerable detail," he said.
Ushakov also said "note was made of the Russian army's tangible advances in the combat zone" and that there was acknowledgement that talks needed to address "the root causes of the conflict".
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
The SIL and Witkoff did such a great job with the Insanians he sent them to try their hand with Pootin?
Did Putin thank them for the oil price windfall Trump has given them?
I hope old Pooty Poot didn’t tell them Ukraine has uranium dust or anything like that. If he did Trump will be bombing them next. He has this thing about uranium dust you know?
Trump shoots up tankers instead of getting serious and disabling Kharg Island and their refineries. Can’t do that or his “good friend” Ping might get really pissed off and do someting rash.
The public session where Witkoff is kissing Putin’s butt is disgusting. The Russian version of the “proposal” published in Russian media is basically Ukrainian capitulation with a UN fig leaf: Ukraine withdraws from strategic positions in Donbas and Zaporizhia to create a buffer with UN troops but must acknowledge Russian sovereignty over Russian occupied areas and must change its constitution to official neutrality and make no military alliance with any foreign power. This would leave Ukraine naked and Russia would just attack again in a couple of years.
This is the same “magnanimous” deal offered over a year ago. It is the same as telling Ukraine they can have peace if they will only castrate themselves with a dull knife.
When it comes to making “deals” Trump is Pavlovian, he just can’t walk away and forget it when there is no deal to be made.
Scuttlebutt is the offer is even worse than previous offers.
Ukraine hands over territories Russia hasn’t even set foot in, denies itself the ability to have any self defense AND doesn’t seek security guarantees, while US NATO is being told by Moscow to unwind the NATO charter, in return for which Russia offers... Absolutely nothing whatsoever. No concessions, no guarantees, not even a thank you.
The only concession Russia made in both Minsk agreements was, it’d pull out the little green men and long distance weapons before holding Ukraine to a long list of deliverables, but as soon as the ink was dry, Putin reneged.
Ukraine would be mad to accept anything that looks like a complete surrender and suicide note in return for nothing at all.
And the USA will lose all credibility as an honest broker between Russia and Ukraine if it simply passes off Putin’s maximalist demands, unchanged , as their own.
“Witkoff thanked Putin for agreeing with Ukraine to halt strikes on each other’s capitals for three days”
I wonder if the Neocons will do another False Flag when Witkoff and Kushner are in Kiev.
FFS. Again with the hypotheticals and whataboutism, ignoring what is actually happening.
Russia did what Russia always does. Agree not to do something *somewhere*, then just do that same something *everywhere else*.
It looks like they’re not hitting Kyiv, so are technically sticking to the agreement. Well, that’s nice.
Unless you’re at the Orlivka international ferry crossing. Or you live in: Antonivka, Beryslav, Bilozerka, Urozhayne, Novoraysk, Pravdyne, Nadiyivka, Zorivka, Lymants, Dniprovske, Chornobaivka, Sadove, Novodmytrivka, Molodizhne, Stepanivka, Mykilske, Prydniprovske, Osokorivka, Dudchany, Zolota Balka, Kachkarivka, Lvove, Milove, Mykhailivka, Novokayri, Novooleksandrivka, Odradokamianka, Oleksandrivka, Ponyativka, Tokarivka, or Kherson.
Where Russia is stepping up its assaults.
“FFS. Again with the hypotheticals and whataboutism, ignoring what is actually happening.”
I can’t help remembering when the Necons set off the “Incoming Missile Alarms” when some Westerners just happen to visiting Kiev early in the war...and of course there was nothing incoming, other than a Neocon standard psychological tactic, yet again.
As to the other cities, when did Russia agree to stop hitting them? Likewise, the Neocons also haven’t agreed to stop sending their drones and missiles into Russia.
This is code for the nearly 4 year old ambitions that have animated Donald Trump to acquire the mineral and oil wealth of Russia at the expense of the Ukrainians.
These ambitions, unsurprisingly, are shared by Alice Weidel of the AFD.
This transactional, myopic misconception of Vladimir Putin's aggression is but ready rationalization for cutting deals.
Putin is counting on the US failure to deliver defensive weapons will enable Russia to destroy Ukraine's logistics (dubious given a few dozen missiles per month and most Russian drones shot down). But he also thinks he can drive more of Ukraine's population out of Ukraine, worsening its manpower problem. Above all he thinks his hybrid attacks on Europe will scare the Europeans into dropping support for Ukraine and is waiting for pro-Putin leaders to take power.
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