Putin meets with US envoy at Kremlin for renewed talks on ending the war in Ukraine

Key Points:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin met with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow to attempt reviving stalled peace talks amid ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, with both sides agreeing to pause strikes on each other's capitals during the discussions.
• The U.S. envoys planned to visit Kyiv for the first time in the peace process, while Putin requested they convey his gratitude to former U.S. President Donald Trump and described the Ukraine situation as complex.
• Despite the temporary ceasefire in capitals, Russia intensified aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities, including a drone strike on Kyiv’s Security Service headquarters, while Ukraine conducted long-range strikes targeting Russian military and economic facilities.
• Russian strikes killed five civilians at an industrial site in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region and caused damage and injuries in other areas, while Ukrainian forces also reported casualties from attacks in Russia’s Belgorod region.
• Both sides reported significant drone and missile activity overnight, with Ukraine shooting down or suppressing most Russian drones, and Russia claiming to have downed dozens of Ukrainian drones in return.