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Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, and special envoy Steve Witkoff have arrived in Moscow, where they will meet with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin to discuss a possible way to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump has said he wants to end the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II, but his efforts so far, including a summit with Putin in Alaska in August and meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, have yet to bring peace.
A 28-point draft proposed by the US was published last week, alarming Ukrainian and European officials, who said it subordinates NATO to Russia, while Moscow controls over a fifth of Ukrainian territory, and sets limits on Kiev's military forces.
The European powers then gave their counterproposal for peace, and at talks in Geneva, the United States and Ukraine said they had created an "updated and refined peace framework" to end the war.
"Ukraine approaches all diplomatic efforts with the utmost seriousness. We are committed to achieving real peace and guaranteed security," Zelensky wrote on X on Tuesday.
"This is exactly the level of commitment that needs to be imposed on the Russian side," he added.
Putin, who ordered troops into Ukraine nearly four years ago, has said the discussions so far are not about a draft agreement but a set of proposals that he said last week "could be the basis for future agreements."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin would receive Witkoff and Kushner at the Kremlin later Tuesday but would not back down from Russia's "red lines," saying megaphone diplomacy was not helpful. He said they would be accompanied only by a translator.
A White House official said Witkoff would be accompanied by Kushner on his trip to Russia.
A convoy of cars believed to be transporting Witkoff and Kushner arrived in central Moscow from Vnukovo airport, shortly after a plane previously used by Witkoff landed from Miami.
Putin has said he is ready to negotiate peace, but if Ukraine rejects a deal, then Russian forces will advance further and take more Ukrainian territory.
A Russian source said the Trump administration's efforts to find peace were the best chance to end the war since talks with Ukraine broke down immediately after the Russian invasion in 2022.
The conflict erupted in eastern Ukraine in 2014 after a pro-Russian president was overthrown by Ukraine's Maidan Revolution and Russia annexed Crimea, with Russian-backed separatist forces fighting against Ukrainian armed forces.
Russian forces control more than 19% of Ukraine, or 115,600 square km (45,000 square miles), a percentage point more than two years ago, and have advanced in 2025 at the fastest pace since 2022, according to pro-Ukrainian maps.
In a video released on the eve of Witkoff's visit, Putin hailed what his commanders told him was the Russian capture of the town of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine as a significant victory after a protracted campaign.
Ukrainian forces still held the northern part of the city and had attacked Russian forces in southern Pokrovsk, the Ukrainian military told Reuters.
U.S. officials have estimated the death toll in the war at more than 1.2 million killed or wounded. Neither Ukraine nor Russia have disclosed their losses. The conflict has also caused widespread destruction in Ukrainian cities and villages and forced many people to flee their homes.
Since the US draft proposals were released late last month, European powers have tried to support Ukraine against what they see as a punitive pro-Russian peace that could open the way for Russia to American investment in oil, gas and rare metals and return Moscow to the G8.
The main Russian demands include a promise that Ukraine will never join NATO, restrictions on the Ukrainian military, Russian control of all of Donbas, recognition of Russian control of the Crimea, Donbas, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions, and protection of Russian speakers and Russian Orthodox believers in Ukraine.
Ukraine says these would constitute capitulation and leave it vulnerable to eventual invasion by Russia, although the United States has also offered a 10-year security guarantee to Kiev.
Witkoff, Kushner and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Rustem Umerov, the secretary of Ukraine's national security council, for talks Sunday at Witkoff's Shell Bay club near Miami.
Putin's investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, will meet with Witkoff while he is in Moscow, Russian sources said.
Ukraine and European powers describe the war as an imperial-style land grab by Moscow and have warned that if Russia wins the war, it will one day attack NATO members. Zelenskiy says Russia should not be rewarded for a war it started itself.
Russia has denied any plans to attack NATO, just as it denied any plans to attack Ukraine before its full-scale invasion.
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