US negotiators meet Putin for high-stakes Ukraine talksListen to this articleThe meeting marks Witkoff's seventh with Putin, according to Russian state media. (Photo: AFP)MOSCOW - Top US negotiators including Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow late Thursday for talks on a US-drafted plan to end the Ukraine war, just as Kyiv announced it had agreed on post-war security guarantees with Washington. Video published by the Kremlin showed a smiling Putin shaking hands with Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and White House advisor Josh Gruenbaum. Trump repeated on Wednesday his oft-stated belief that Putin and Zelensky were close to a deal. Russia, which launched its Ukraine offensive in February 2022, says its strikes are aimed at energy infrastructure fuelling Ukraine's "military-industrial complex".

Source: Bangkok Post January 22, 2026 22:34 UTC