President Trump's envoys met Russian President Vladimir Putin for four hours at the Kremlin on Thursday night to discuss the U.S. plan to end the war in Ukraine.
Why it matters: The meeting with Putin took place ahead of a new phase in the U.S. mediation efforts — trilateral talks with Ukrainian and Russian officials in Abu Dhabi.
- The U.S. is close to agreement with Ukraine on a peace plan, but has so far had little clear success in getting Putin on board, though he hasn't rejected it outright.
- Territorial control in eastern Ukraine will be the primary issue discussed in Abu Dhabi, sources say.
Driving the news: White House envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, and White House official Josh Gruenbaum met with Putin inside the Kremlin.
- They left Davos for Moscow shortly after a meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
- Putin's adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters after the meeting that Trump's envoys briefed the Russian president on the talks with the Ukrainians. The talks also covered Greenland and Trump's Board of Peace.
- "The talks were substantive, constructive and very frank," Ushakov said.
- Putin's adviser stressed that without solving the territorial issue — Russia's demand that Ukraine cede the entire Donbas region — on the basis that Trump and Putin agreed in their summit last August, "there is no prospect of long term settlement."
What's next: Witkoff and Kushner traveled from Moscow to Abu Dhabi for the trilateral talks. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will also join, according to a Ukrainian official.
- Zelensky is sending his chief negotiator Rustem Umerov, chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov, diplomatic adviser Serhii Kyslytsia and the Ukrainian military chief of staff, Andrii Hnatov.
- Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev will join the talks, along with a team led by the head of Russian military intelligence Admiral Igor Kostyukov, the Kremlin said.
