Russian President Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of talks with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow on efforts to end the Ukraine war.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday that he felt good about peace talks held in Moscow and Kyiv, adding that Washington hoped to find a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine.
Witkoff spoke after meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv as the United States seeks to revive efforts to end the conflict.
The Russian Defence Ministry said on Sunday that its forces had struck a Ukrainian cargo vessel in the Black Sea that was carrying military equipment supplied to Ukraine by Western countries, Russian news agencies reported.
The ministry did not provide further details about the vessel or the equipment it said was on board.
A U.S. delegation visiting Kyiv looks forward to making further progress in peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, U.S. envoy Jared Kushner said on Sunday.
Speaking alongside fellow U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff after the first round of talks with Ukrainian officials, Kushner said the U.S. team was looking forward to making more progress.
Witkoff said the delegation was “very encouraged” by what he described as a “substantive, important” discussion.
The first round of talks lasted about three hours. Further discussions involving European representatives are expected later on Sunday, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The first round of talks between Ukrainian and U.S. negotiators has ended, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said he was encouraged by what he described as a substantive and important discussion, while U.S. negotiator Jared Kushner said the U.S. team looked forward to making further progress.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian officials after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The White House said the discussions in Russia focused on “substantive plans for next steps” in efforts to end the war.
The meetings come as Washington pushes forward diplomatic efforts between Moscow and Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his team was ready for talks focused on bringing the war closer to an end, while stressing the need for security guarantees.
Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff arrive for a meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, 6 September 2026
The British, French and German national security advisers are in Kyiv on Sunday, a person familiar with the matter said, ahead of talks between Ukraine and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
The person did not specify which meetings the advisers would participate in.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday that the accusations levelled at Moscow by the West that it was involved in the drone incident at Germany's Leipzig airport were, “by and large, the start of a real war,” state news agency TASS reported.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said frontline developments show that Russia is “not winning and will not win” the war.
He said Russia’s advance in 2026 has slowed significantly compared with the previous year, with Moscow gaining less than 0.2% of Ukrainian territory.
Sybiha claimed around 42,000 Russian troops were killed or wounded in August, describing it as one of the highest monthly casualty figures of the war.
He said Russia had failed to achieve a breakthrough in Donetsk despite concentrating its main efforts there and was not in a position to dictate peace terms.
Sybiha’s comments came after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow’s forces were increasing their pace of advance and had captured territory in Donetsk in August.
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Sunday that the possibility of a trilateral meeting between the presidents of Russia, the U.S. and China has not been ruled out, state news agency TASS reported.
Russia said one person was killed and four others injured in overnight Ukrainian drone attacks on several regions, including Belgorod and Rostov.
Russian officials said drones damaged residential buildings in Rostov and sparked a fire at a plant in the Ryazan region, while Moscow claimed its forces destroyed 258 Ukrainian drones.
Ukraine said a Russian airstrike hit border infrastructure near the crossing point with Romania, forcing the temporary suspension of operations at the Orlivka checkpoint.
Both sides’ claims could not be independently verified due to the ongoing war.
The developments come as U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner continue diplomatic efforts, with meetings in Moscow followed by an expected visit to Kyiv.
U.S. and Russian officials discussed “substantive” plans for next steps in talks aimed at ending Russia's war in Ukraine, which will be announced in the coming weeks, a White House official said on Saturday.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the discussions were “highly useful” and included several ideas for a possible peace settlement, but no breakthrough was announced. Putin told the U.S. representatives that Russia was making “real progress” on the battlefield and stressed the need to address what Moscow calls the “root causes” of the conflict.
A White House official described the talks as “substantive” and said further steps would be announced in the coming weeks. Putin also praised Donald Trump’s efforts to help end the war. However, major differences remain between Moscow and Kyiv, with Russia maintaining its territorial demands and position on NATO, while Ukraine rejects giving up land as part of any agreement.
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