Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov: I would like to brief you on today’s meeting.
Colleagues, as you know, at the instruction of the President of the United States, his representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Moscow on September 5 to continue the dialogue on resolving the crisis in Ukraine and to discuss other pressing issues. This was their eighth visit to our country.
President Vladimir Putin received the US representatives. At the very beginning of their conversation, he publicly praised this channel of mediation and the role played by the American negotiators. He also conveyed his best wishes to President Donald Trump and thanked him for his efforts to advance a settlement in Ukraine, as well as for his sincere desire to help achieve a swift and mutually acceptable outcome.
What else can be added to what the President himself has already said? The conversation lasted more than three hours – three hours and ten minutes, to be precise. It was substantive, constructive, exceptionally frank, and conducted in an atmosphere of trust. The discussion, which covered extremely serious matters, continued both during the working portion of the meeting as well as in an informal setting over dinner.
As regards the substance of the discussions, the Russian side provided clear and comprehensive assessments of the situation developing in the course of the special military operation. In particular, the Russian side highlighted the significant advances made by the Russian armed forces in the combat zone, expressed confidence that the set objectives would be achieved, and, obviously, stressed the need to address all the root causes of the conflict.
Our President reaffirmed his commitment to continuing joint work with the American side to seek political and diplomatic solutions. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, for their part, undertook to draw on the observations and assessments conveyed to them personally by the Russian President regarding possible avenues toward a lasting and peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine during their meetings in Kiev tomorrow.
Incidentally, our American colleagues had made considerable preparations for this trip. In addition to reiterating their traditional interest in bringing the hostilities to an early end, they put forward a number of considerations concerning possible ways of reaching a settlement.
It is also worth noting that the Americans took particular note of a point emphasised by our President: namely, that the Kiev regime has already ceased to conceal its true nature, having begun the reburial of some of the most prominent Nazi criminals.
The talks were not confined to an exchange of views on resolving the Ukrainian crisis. Economic issues were also discussed, including the prospects for major Russia-US projects that could be mutually beneficial to both sides.
Overall, it can be said that the talks were timely and highly beneficial to both sides. It was confirmed that the Presidents of our countries will further maintain personal contact, and that the work conducted through Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will also continue.
Thank you for your attention, colleagues.