Russian president Vladimir Putin has met with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner amid a 72-hour pause in strikes on Kyiv.
Mr Putin said that contacts with the US mediators were “always beneficial” as Mr Trump’s representatives seek to progress a plan for an end to the Ukraine war.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told state media on Saturday: “Putin has ordered that no strikes be carried out against Kyiv for three days, starting at midnight today.” The decision was tied to preparations for US envoys Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner to visit Kyiv for peace talks with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mr Zelensky has also said that Ukraine will refrain from airstrikes on Moscow while US envoys are in the city.
Mr Putin’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov struck a pessimistic tone on Saturday, saying: "The key question is the extent to which the US administration is prepared to invest in finding a real solution to the current crisis, considering the realities on the ground.”
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Recap: Putin says talks with US envoys are 'beneficial'
Russian President Vladimir Putin told US special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Saturday that contacts between Moscow and Washington were always beneficial, and that Russia found it convenient to work with them.
Mr Witkoff said US President Donald Trump had sent his best wishes to Mr Putin and thanked him for a ceasefire during the US delegation's visit. Mr Putin said Russia would do its utmost to ensure the safety of the mediators.
The two US special representatives arrived in Moscow for talks on ending the war in Ukraine.
Holly Bancroft6 September 2026 00:04
Russian ministry reports fewer Ukrainian drones in airspace
The Russian Defence Ministry reported 53 Ukrainian drones in Russian airspace on Saturday, significantly fewer than the average seen in recent months. Moscow is celebrating City Day on Saturday, with hundreds of thousands of people taking part in open-air festivities across the city.
A vast gulf remains between Russia and Ukraine on how to end the war, the deadliest in Europe since World War Two. A source close to the Kremlin, speaking before reports emerged of a possible trip by Trump's envoys, said Mr Putin was still intent on capturing more territory.
"There is no chance of reaching an agreement regarding the front line until Mr Putin finishes securing the remaining part of the Donetsk region," the source told Reuters, adding that the Kremlin leader was confident based on reports from his commanders that this would happen by the end of the year.
Holly Bancroft5 September 2026 23:17
US envoy Steve Witkoff thanks Putin for the 'incredible memories'
US envoy Steve Witkoff told Russian president Vladimir Putin in their meeting with Moscow that he was reflecting on all the “incredible and stories” that he will have when he retires.
The discussions reportedly lasted three hours but in a televised introduction Mr Witkoff told Mr Putin: “We were sitting outside just now, me, Jared, and Carol and then Yuri joined us, and we were all talking about when we retire we’ll have all these incredible stories and incredible memories and yours will be right at the top of it all”.
Holly Bancroft5 September 2026 23:02
Putin tells Trump envoys that situation in Ukraine is 'difficult'
Russian president Vladimir Putin has told Trump’s envoys to Moscow that the situation in Ukraine is “difficult”.
Mr Putin also noted in his opening remarks that the intensity of Ukrainian attacks on Russia has also decreased and promised to ensure the safety of the US negotiators.
He said Russia did not yet agree to a broader three-day ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had spoken to the two US envoys set to visit Ukraine on Sunday, adding that Ukraine was prepared to refrain from strikes on Moscow through Monday.
Holly Bancroft5 September 2026 22:01
Nato should not tolerate hybrid war, US ambassador says after Berlin blames Russia for drone attack
Nato members should not tolerate deliberate actions of hybrid war, and the United States will stand by countries as they deal with these incidents, Matthew Whitaker, the US ambassador to NATO, said on Saturday.
Mr Whitaker said last month's attempted drone attack at Germany's Leipzig/Halle Airport, which Berlin has blamed on Russia, was more worrying than other recent incidents Nato members have faced due to Russian drones targeting Ukraine that strayed off course.
The response to these challenges is primarily national, but the United States supports countries when they are dealing with these acts, he said.
"Then you have what I would call the more concerning hybrid actions like we saw in Leipzig, like we have seen in Poland," Mr Whitaker said speaking on the sidelines of a business conference in Italy.
Nato members must be prepared, vigilant and also deliver a strong message when they are challenged by these events, he said.
"If we can identify who's doing it which Germany did we make sure we express strongly that is unacceptable and we will not tolerate it," Mr Whitaker said. Critical infrastructure, including energy assets, could be targeted and should be monitored by national authorities, he added.
Holly Bancroft5 September 2026 21:03
In pictures: US presidential envoys meet with Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov and Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev attend a meeting with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, at the Kremlin in Moscow.
The US envoys are meeting both Mr Putin and later Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky in a bid to progress peace talks.
Holly Bancroft5 September 2026 21:02
Recap: Russian drone strikes Ukraine ‘MI5’ headquarters ahead of US peace talks
Ukraine’s security service headquarters was set alight after a Russian drone struck it ahead of diplomatic talks with US officials on ending the war, writes Bryony Gooch.
Smoke could be seen above the SBU headquarters in Kyiv on Friday after a drone targeted the office of the acting head of the security service, Oleksandr Poklad, who was unscathed following the attack.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media that Russia would face a proportionate response.
“I spoke with the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Oleksandr Poklad. Unfortunately, a Russian drone struck the central building of the Security Service of Ukraine on Volodymyrska Street in Kyiv, across from St. Sophia Cathedral,” he said.
“All emergency services are on the scene. Everyone affected will receive the necessary assistance. The drone was aimed directly at the office of the Head of the Security Service in that building.
“I instructed Poklad to deliver an appropriate, tangible response and, where possible, one that mirrors this strike, to the Russians once everything is ready. Our military will support this response. Glory to Ukraine!”
Russian drone strikes Ukraine ‘MI5’ headquarters ahead of US peace talks
President Zelensky instructed the SBU to deliver an ‘appropriate, tangible response’ to the Russians following the strike on headquartersHolly Bancroft5 September 2026 20:06
Putin welcomes talks with US envoys
Russian President Vladimir Putin told US special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Saturday that contacts between Moscow and Washington were always beneficial, and that Russia found it convenient to work with them, Reuters has reported.
Mr Witkoff said US President Donald Trump had sent his best wishes to Mr Putin and thanked him for a ceasefire during the US delegation's visit. Mr Putin said Russia would do its utmost to ensure the safety of the mediators.
The two US special representatives arrived in Moscow for talks on ending the war in Ukraine.
Holly Bancroft5 September 2026 19:37
UN votes to adopt new world map that shows the true size of all countries
The UN general assembly has voted to replace the traditional world map with one that more accurately reflects the size of all nations, writes Stuti Mishra.
The approved resolution calls for the world to move away from the traditional Mercator map, which shrinks the size of Africa and exaggerates northern landmasses.
The "Correct the Map" resolution, sponsored by Togo, passed with the support of 164 nations, including the UK. The US was the only nation to vote against it, with six other abstentions.
The resolution is non-binding, but asks governments, schools, international organisations, and technology companies to adopt the Equal Earth projection and other equal-area maps wherever the true scale of continents matters, with the aim of establishing more proportionally accurate maps as a new global norm. It does not seek to ban the Mercator projection outright.
The Mercator projection, which is currently used worldwide, increases distortion the further a region sits from the equator. Since Africa straddles the equator, it seems comparatively smaller than its actual size, while Europe, North America, Greenland, and Russia all appear substantially larger than they are.
UN votes to adopt new world map
Africa-led campaign asks governments, schools and tech firms to move away from the centuries-old Mercator projectionHolly Bancroft5 September 2026 19:05
What we know about US envoys' trip to Moscow
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US president Donald Trump’s two envoys, have arrived in Moscow ahead of talks aimed at ending the Ukraine war.
Mr Trump has said that Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner would be “bringing with them a proposal to end the war”. They are expected to meet both Russian president Vladimir Putin and then travel to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
The envoys were met at the airport by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, Russia’s state news agency Tass said.
Mr Dmitriev shared photos of him meeting the US delegation as they disembarked, alongside the caption, “Welcome to Moscow Peacemakers.”
The last known visit to Moscow by Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, was in January, when they met Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. They have never visited Kyiv, but Mr Zelenskyy said he was expecting them in the Ukrainian capital on Sunday.
Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner’s visit to Moscow comes just over a week after a visit by the head of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, to the capital.
Holly Bancroft5 September 2026 18:00NewerOlder