After meeting with Trump's special envoy for over three hours, Putin stated that "the situation today is not simple."

The United States has restarted its mediation efforts with Russia, but with the smoke of battle still lingering and core differences remaining, the prospects for a ceasefire are fraught with uncertainty.

According to Xinhua News Agency, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Witkov and son-in-law Jared Kushner at the Kremlin for more than three hours on the evening of the 5th. This was the latest diplomatic move by the Trump administration to restart Russia-Ukraine mediation, and also the first visit by high-level U.S. representatives to Russia since January of this year.

At the start of the talks, Putin stated, "The situation we face today is certainly not simple," and asked the two special envoys to convey his "sincereest wishes and gratitude" to Trump. Presidential aide Ushakov later told the media that the talks were "substantial, constructive, extremely frank, and based on mutual trust," but no joint statement was issued, and the two special envoys did not give any interviews after leaving the Kremlin.

However, the resumption of diplomatic contact did not lead to a corresponding de-escalation of the conflict. Just hours before Putin ordered a 72-hour ceasefire to halt airstrikes on Kyiv, Ukraine had just suffered a large-scale air attack—Ukraine claimed that Russia launched ballistic missiles and deployed over 160 attack drones, damaging Kyiv's two main airports and infrastructure in multiple locations. Analysts point out that the biggest achievement of the talks was the restoration of direct communication channels between the US and Russia, but a genuine ceasefire agreement remains a considerable distance away.

The United States resumes mediation efforts, with a special envoy traveling to Moscow with a peace plan.

Trump said in the Oval Office on the 5th that two special envoys had traveled to Moscow "with a proposal to end the war," but did not disclose the specifics.

According to Guancha.cn, the talks were held at the Senate Palace in the Kremlin, where Putin personally greeted Witkov and Kushner. Besides Putin, Russian participants included Presidential Aide Ushakov, Russian Direct Investment Fund CEO Dmitriev, and several other high-ranking officials. The two sides focused on the US-proposed conflict resolution plan and US-Russia relations. Ushakov stated that they also had "quite detailed" discussions on economic affairs and potential US-Russia cooperation projects.

Before their meeting, Witkov and Kushner had lunch with Russian envoy Dmitriev at a restaurant in Moscow. Following the talks, the two left Moscow and planned to travel to Kyiv on the 6th for talks with Zelensky – their first visit to Ukraine since Trump's return to the White House.

Before the ceasefire order took effect, the Russian military launched a large-scale air strike.

The background to this diplomatic contact was quite complex. According to Xinhua News Agency, Putin detailed the "three-day ceasefire" reached between Russia and Ukraine during the talks: Russia received a request through its intelligence and diplomatic departments to cease airstrikes on Kyiv, and "I have issued the corresponding order; airstrikes on Kyiv have ceased from midnight tonight." Putin also stated that Ukraine had significantly reduced its attacks on Russian territory (including Moscow), "by an order of magnitude."

However, the situation on the battlefield deteriorated sharply before the ceasefire took effect. Ukraine claimed that Russian forces launched ballistic missiles and deployed over 160 attack drones hours before the ceasefire took effect, striking two major airports in Kyiv. Zelensky stated that these attacks were a response to reports that "the US was preparing to fly to Ukraine."

Despite Putin's announcement of a suspension of airstrikes against Kyiv, air raid sirens sounded repeatedly in Kyiv that afternoon, and attacks also targeted Khmelnytskyi in western Ukraine, injuring four people. Russia emphasized that the suspension of strikes was limited to Kyiv and aimed at creating conditions for a US delegation to visit Ukraine for talks; it did not mean that Russian military operations in other parts of Ukraine had ceased.

With core disagreements unresolved, the prospects for a ceasefire remain uncertain.

Despite the resumption of face-to-face communication between high-level US and Russian officials, the fundamental differences between the two sides on ceasefire conditions remain clear. According to Guancha.cn, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Russia insists on the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the resolution of the "root causes" of the conflict as prerequisites for a ceasefire; Ukraine, on the other hand, consistently refuses to accept any proposals involving territorial concessions.

According to media reports citing sources, Putin is only willing to agree to a ceasefire on his own terms, and his negotiating demands are becoming increasingly assertive as Moscow believes it holds the advantage on the battlefield. Ushakov also stated after the meeting, "The Russian side points out that the Russian army has made tangible progress on the front lines and is confident in achieving its established objectives."

Furthermore, the order of events on this diplomatic trip has also drawn criticism from the EU. EU Ambassador to the US, Jovita Neliupšienė, stated in a media interview, "Diplomacy is effective, and we must ensure that we first engage in dialogue with our allies," emphasizing that "Moscow has not changed its war objectives," and that Europe's primary task remains providing Ukraine with all the support it needs.

Analysts: Communication channels have reopened, but an agreement is still a long way off.

Market and analyst assessments of this diplomatic engagement have been generally cautious. Sam Charap, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, believes the U.S. visit is "timely, given the rapidly escalating situation, which appears poised to continue to spiral if left unchecked."

Alexey Gromyko, director of the Institute of Europe at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said the visit has the potential to inject new momentum into reaching mutually acceptable terms, but the key question is whether Washington is prepared to remain involved in the negotiation process, "instead of only returning every six months."

Western military analysts share a similar assessment: the biggest achievement of the talks was the restoration of direct communication channels between the US and Russia, and the rare simultaneous cessation of attacks on each other's capitals by Russia and Ukraine. However, on core issues such as territorial demarcation and security arrangements, a genuine ceasefire agreement remains elusive. Previous US visits to Moscow have failed to yield substantial progress; whether this meeting can break the deadlock remains to be seen.

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