US President Donald Trump's top negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, have met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for three hours of talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

Footage released by the Kremlin showed Putin greeting the two envoys before discussions continued behind closed doors at his official residence in the Russian capital. Putin remarked that the current situation "is not so easy" and stated that Russia would explain "how we see the situation", while adding that "in any case, whatever happens, such contacts are undoubtedly always useful" and thanking Trump for his peacemaking efforts.

During the meeting, Witkoff thanked Putin for agreeing to a three-day halt to strikes on Kyiv. Russian state media reported that Putin ordered the pause specifically for the duration of the US visit, though Putin clarified in televised remarks that Russia has not agreed to a ceasefire across the rest of Ukraine. The Russian president added that he would "ensure the security of the negotiating process" and of the mediators.

On Sunday, the envoys are due to travel to Kyiv for further discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky confirmed on Saturday that he had spoken with the envoys, noting that they had "already begun working with the Russian side today".

"The plan for tomorrow's diplomatic engagements in Kyiv, involving the US team, has been approved," Zelensky said. "We are waiting for Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and are ready for a substantive conversation. From now through the end of Saturday, as well as on Sunday and Monday, Ukraine is ready to refrain from strikes on Moscow, and we expect the Russians to do the same regarding Kyiv."

Before the pause, tensions were visible on the ground. Zelensky said Russia had fired "demonstrative" strikes overnight at airports in Kyiv and Boryspil, suggesting they were "a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the US side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine and land at Kyiv Airport or Boryspil Airport." Ukraine's airspace has remained shut since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Elsewhere, the conflict has continued to claim civilian lives. Zelensky reported that a separate overnight Russian strike on a civilian building in the Dnipro region killed four people and injured five others.

On Friday, Donald Trump said that Witkoff and Kushner were "bringing with them a proposal to end the war". The meeting in Moscow comes just over a week after a rare visit to the Russian capital by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, which Trump described last week as "semi-routine". Neither Washington nor the Kremlin offered formal comment on the specific details of Ratcliffe's discussions.

So far, diplomatic efforts by the US and its allies have failed to produce a breakthrough. While talks brokered by Washington and separate meetings between European allies in Paris previously suggested minor progress, significant disagreements remain between Moscow and Kyiv over territory and future security guarantees.

Both nations have intensified aerial strikes in recent months, with Ukraine reporting difficulties in intercepting ballistic missiles due to shortages of air-defence interceptors, whilst targeting Russian economic infrastructure. What is still not publicly confirmed is the precise route Kushner and Witkoff will take to travel from Moscow into Kyiv.

Sunday's meetings will mark the first time the US envoys have held negotiations inside Ukraine. I'll be following this one — check back for updates as the talks unfold.