US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have held talks with President Vladmir Putin in Moscow, in what appears to be new efforts by the Trump administration to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
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what → hold → war
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the envoys were bringing “a proposal to end the war” – Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II – and a senior Russian official said it was an “important peacemaking visit”.
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it → say → II
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list of 4 items- list 1 of 4Witkoff and Kushner will travel to ‘end’ Russia’s war in Ukraine:
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4Witkoff → travel → Ukraine
Trump
- list 2 of 4Trump sends envoys to Russia, Ukraine with new peace plan
- list 3 of 4At least 5 killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine as US envoys visit Moscow
- list 4 of 4US envoys arrive in Kyiv for Ukraine war talks after meeting Putin
Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and Witkoff, the US special envoy, are expected to arrive in Kyiv on Sunday, reviving diplomacy when both countries have escalated attacks.
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countries → send → attacks
Both Moscow and Kyiv announced a three-day ceasefire to coincide with the latest trip.
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Moscow → announce → trip
So what’s behind the latest initiative by the US envoys and will it help end the war?
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it → ’ → war
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the high-level talks were “highly useful” and lasted for more than three hours, according to Reuters.
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talks → say → Reuters
Witkoff and Kushner “outlined a number of ideas regarding possible avenues for a settlement,” said Ushakov, without providing any further detail, but added that the talks had been “substantive, very frank and constructive”.
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talks → outline → detail
Videos show Putin meeting the US envoys in the famous Red Drawing Room at the Kremlin on Saturday and telling his guests that the situation they are exploring “is, of course, not an easy one”.
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they → show → course
The question remains whether Russia is willing to compromise, said Al Jazeera correspondent Yulia Shapovalova from Moscow.
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Shapovalova → remain → Moscow
“Moscow demands that Ukraine not join NATO and hand over four Ukrainian regions to Russia, including territories not controlled by Russian forces.”
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Ukraine → demand → forces
In September 2022, Putin proclaimed the annexation of four partially occupied Ukrainian regions – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
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Putin → proclaim → regions
The move was not recognised by the international community, including the UN.
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move → recognise → UN
Ukraine has refused to cede territory to Russia.
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Ukraine → refuse → Russia
The Trump administration has ruled out a seat for Ukraine at NATO – which Russia has opposed.
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Russia → rule → which
Trump had initially been critical of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but has since mended ties after berating the Ukrainian leader in the Oval Office in February last year.
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Trump → mend → February
In August, Trump met Putin in Alaska, but the summit failed to reach a deal to end the war.
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summit → meet → war
Witkoff and Kushner have been involved in a number of diplomatic talks, including the Iran war, the so-called ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel and the Ukraine-Russia war.
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Witkoff → involve → Hamas
Witkoff was appointed as the special envoy to the Middle East and later assigned the task of helping end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
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Witkoff → appoint → conflict
Kushner also played a major role in the 2020 Abraham Accords that saw a number of Muslim countries recognise Israel.
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number → play → Israel
The initiative has been criticised for prioritising Arab-Israeli normalisation without addressing the question of a Palestinian state.
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initiative → criticise → state
The details of the latest Ukraine peace plan are unclear, but Trump reportedly said last week, “we have an idea for peace”, without providing any additional details.
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we → say → details
The presence of Treasury official Gene Lang, who oversees US sanctions policy, including on Russia, indicates that the ongoing financial, economic and trade sanctions on Russia might have been part of the discussions in Moscow.
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sanctions → oversee → Moscow
The Trump administration has ramped up sanctions on Russia aimed at forcing it to end the war.
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administration → ramp → war
The Iran war has, however, diverted Trump’s and global attention away from the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
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war → divert → conflict
The Iran war has also strained transatlantic ties as Trump has accused his European and NATO allies of not helping him in efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has used as leverage in talks.
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Tehran → strain → talks
He has also been critical of NATO allies for not sharing the burden of collective defence, particularly against Russian threats.
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He → share → threats
NATO members from Europe have since stepped up their spending and offered to provide security guarantees to Ukraine after a deal is signed with Russia.
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deal → step → Russia
The latest push comes amid deadly Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, while Kyiv has stepped up drone attacks on Russian energy sites.
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Kyiv → come → sites
They have arrived in Kyiv for their first visit to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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They → arrive → Zelenskyy
Experts say Ukrainians are sceptical of the US envoys.
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Ukrainians → say → envoys
“The view in Ukraine [is] that Witkoff, and to some extent Kushner, are most susceptible to accepting Russia’s narrative,” said Alexey Muraviev, a senior research fellow of defence and strategic studies at Edith Cowan University in Australia.
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Muraviev → accept → Australia
Witkoff told Putin that the US president had sent his best wishes and thanked him for the limited ceasefire during the delegation’s visit.
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president → tell → visit
The special US envoy was also recorded telling Putin that “we will have all these incredible stories and memories, and yours will be right at the top of it all”.
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yours → record → it
The Russian president conveyed his gratitude to Trump and said Moscow would do its utmost to ensure the safety of the mediators.
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Moscow → convey → mediators
The choice of words and tone won’t sit well with Ukrainians, explained Al Jazeera correspondent Audrey McAlpine from Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv.
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McAlpine → sit → capital
While the visit there is seen as significant, the interaction between the envoys and Putin is an indication of “that familiarity between Witkoff and Putin”, she said.
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she → see → Witkoff
Where the war stands now?
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war → stand → ?
Russia and Ukraine announced a halt in attacks on each other’s capitals until Monday.
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Russia → announce → Monday
The no-shoot policy is to ensure the envoys travel to the talks.
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envoys → ensure → talks
…and 20 more, not listed.
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