Putin Meets Witkoff and Kushner, Says Ukraine Situation Is 'Difficult'
· World · Hindustan Times, Reuters, Times of India
Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin on Saturday for talks on ending the 4-1/2-year war in Ukraine, telling them at the start that the situation is "difficult." Putin praised US President Donald Trump's mediation efforts and said Russia had not yet agreed to a broader three-day ceasefire, though he ordered the military not to strike Kyiv for three days starting at midnight Saturday in connection with the envoys' visit to the Ukrainian capital. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine was prepared to refrain from strikes on Moscow through Monday. The Russian Defence Ministry reported 53 Ukrainian drones in Russian airspace on Saturday, significantly fewer than the recent average. A Kremlin source, speaking before news of the envoys' trip emerged, said Putin remains intent on capturing more territory and that there is "no chance" of a front-line agreement until Russia secures the rest of the Donetsk region.
Why it matters
A potential trilateral ceasefire arrangement during a US-mediated visit signals a diplomatic opening in the deadliest European war since World War Two, but the reported gap between Putin's territorial demands and Kyiv's position means any settlement remains far from certain. For India, which has maintained a neutral stance on the conflict and watched energy and food markets closely, a genuine de-escalation could ease global commodity pressures.
Read the original report — Hindustan Times
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