'A bad sign': US envoys head to Kyiv after three-hour talks with Putin

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential adviser Jared Kushner have travelled to Kyiv following a three-hour meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The White House described the talks as "substantive."

The two American envoys have played a central role in Washington's efforts to broker an agreement aimed at ending the fighting in Ukraine. Their trip to Kyiv comes immediately after meeting the Russian leader, suggesting an attempt to keep both warring sides engaged in the process simultaneously.

Scepticism in Ukraine

Reporting from Ukraine, France 24 correspondent Gulliver Cragg said there is a climate of scepticism in the country about whether this latest round of negotiations will produce the long-awaited breakthrough. According to his assessment, Ukrainians have grown wary after a prolonged wait for a decisive shift in the conflict, and many remain unconvinced that the current diplomatic push will deliver results.

Details of what was discussed in Moscow have not been fully disclosed publicly, but the envoys' swift onward trip to Kyiv suggests Washington is seeking to brief Ukrainian officials quickly and possibly coordinate next steps with Kyiv's leadership.

The diplomatic push comes against the backdrop of a war that has dragged on for years, with the international community repeatedly voicing hope for a diplomatic resolution that has yet to materialise.