Kushner and Witkoff seek fresh US-led push for Ukraine peace talks

Jared Kushner, accompanied by Steve Witkoff, visited Moscow and Kyiv last week in an effort to restart US-led peace negotiations over the four-year-old Ukraine conflict. Their itinerary included a video address to the Yalta European Strategy forum in Kyiv, which was embargoed until the following day. Kushner claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin was "committed" to finding a way forward, a remark that drew laughter from the audience.

Meetings with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky produced cautious optimism but no concrete progress, as the parties have yet to move beyond previous prisoner-exchange rounds. Kushner highlighted a recent three-day ceasefire that facilitated their trip and pledged to return when substantive discussions are possible, aiming to announce further steps in the coming weeks.