Witkoff and Kushner head back to Moscow as Putin declares Ukraine war “coming to an end”

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and key mediator, are expected to return to Moscow “quite soon” for a new round of talks on ending the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin announced on Sunday.

The visit comes hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that the conflict is “coming to an end,” even as both sides traded accusations of violating a US-brokered three-day ceasefire that began on Saturday.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told Russian state media that the two American negotiators – who have led previous rounds of shuttle diplomacy – would resume direct dialogue with Russian officials “sooner or later… quite soon.” The announcement followed Putin’s unusually optimistic remarks on Saturday, delivered after a scaled-back Victory Day parade in Moscow. “I think that the matter is coming to an end,” Putin said, referring to what Russia calls its “special military operation.” He blamed the West for prolonging the fighting through military aid to Kyiv but signalled that a settlement was now within reach.

In a separate and more surprising comment, Putin suggested that former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder – a longtime personal friend, Gazprom lobbyist and vocal advocate of closer Russian-European energy ties – could serve as Europe’s negotiator in future talks. “Of all European politicians, I would prefer talks with Schröder,” Putin said, framing the idea as a way to coordinate with the European Union. Schröder’s office declined to comment.

The proposal was quickly rejected by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government. Officials in Berlin dismissed it as “not credible,” noting that Russia has not altered its core demands and describing the suggestion as part of a pattern aimed at sowing division among Western allies. A senior German official stressed that any European involvement in talks must be closely coordinated with EU member states and Ukraine, and that Moscow’s willingness to extend the current ceasefire would be the first real test of seriousness.

A short-lived ceasefire

The latest round of diplomacy follows a fragile, US-mediated three-day ceasefire announced by President Trump on 8 May. The truce, which ran from Saturday 9 May to Monday 11 May, was intended to allow the exchange of 2,000 prisoners of war and to create a brief humanitarian pause coinciding with Russia’s Victory Day commemorations. Trump had expressed hope that the pause could be extended into a longer-term agreement.

However, the ceasefire almost immediately unravelled. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russian forces of continuing assaults on the frontline and “not even really trying” to observe the truce. Moscow, in turn, blamed Ukrainian violations. By Sunday, independent monitors and both capitals reported fresh strikes, underscoring how previous short-term halts in the conflict have repeatedly collapsed within days.

Witkoff and Kushner last visited Moscow in January 2026 without securing a breakthrough. Their return now comes amid mounting pressure on all sides to convert Putin’s public optimism – and the brief ceasefire window – into concrete progress. Whether the renewed American engagement can overcome deep distrust, mutual accusations of bad faith, and entrenched territorial demands remains uncertain.

Caption: United States special envoy for peace missions Steve Witkoff reads his notes during a cabinet meeting hosted by US President Trump in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 26 March 2026. EPA/WILL OLIVER / POOL