US President's special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin. As reported by RBK-Ukraine citing the Russian agency TASS, the plane carrying the American negotiators landed at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport, where they were greeted by Russian presidential special representative Kirill Dmitriev. Following the airport meeting, the motorcade carrying the delegation departed from Vnukovo.
Arrival at Vnukovo and Meeting Schedule
According to earlier information, Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov stated that the White House envoys' meeting with Putin would take place in the first half of the day. The Kremlin also confirmed the tentative timing of the talks. Thus, the American delegation's visit to the Russian capital is of a working nature and fits into the ongoing cycle of contacts between Washington and Moscow regarding the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.
Format and Goals of the Negotiations
The current visit to Moscow takes place against the backdrop of two-day talks between Ukraine, the US, and Russia in Abu Dhabi, following which, according to available data, the parties agreed on a prisoner exchange. At the same time, according to RBK-Ukraine sources, the Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi refused to discuss a ceasefire, territorial issues, energy, and security in the Black Sea. The context of these agreements and refusals serves as an important framework for the Moscow round of contacts.
Further Route: Dublin and Multilateral Format
After Moscow, Witkoff and Kushner are reportedly scheduled to travel to Dublin, where Volodymyr Zelenskyy awaits them. According to Kushner himself, in Moscow, the American side intends to try to transform the trilateral talks into a multilateral format involving the European Union and NATO. This indicates that the Moscow leg is viewed as part of a broader diplomatic architecture extending beyond bilateral contacts.
Context: Other Reports on Delegation Travel
It is worth noting that open sources also feature other reports regarding trips by the same delegation: a number of publications previously referred to plans for a meeting in St. Petersburg, as well as visits dated September. These pieces of information relate to different stages of the negotiating cycle and are not identical to the current Moscow visit reported at the core of this material. Nevertheless, they confirm the intensity and multi-vector nature of diplomatic activity surrounding the Ukrainian issue.
