(Web Desk) - Russian President Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of "highly useful" talks on Saturday with two US envoys seeking a deal to end the Ukraine war, a Kremlin aide said, but he did not indicate any breakthrough.
The aide, Yuri Ushakov, said Americans Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner "outlined a number of ideas regarding possible avenues for a settlement." Ushakov did not say what these ideas were.
He said Putin had told the pair that Russia was making "real progress" on the battlefield, was confident of achieving its goals, and stressed the necessity of addressing "all the root causes of the conflict."
All these are statements that Moscow has made repeatedly in the course of the war, which has dragged on for more than four and a half years and has seen both sides intensify long-range air strikes in recent weeks while the front lines remain largely static.
There was no comment from Witkoff and Kushner, who were visiting Moscow for the first time since January on behalf of President Donald Trump. They flew out of Moscow soon after the talks and are due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Sunday.
"The talks went beyond a mere exchange of views on resolving the Ukrainian crisis. Economic issues and potential major, mutually beneficial Russian-American projects were discussed in some detail," Ushakov said.
"Overall, one can say that the negotiations were timely and highly useful for both sides."
Putin's investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev posted afterwards on X that it had been an "important peacemaking visit." He and Ushakov were both present at the meeting.