Experts say Moscow envoy visit brought no closer peace

US presidential special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held three hours of talks with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday, but the visit did not bring peace any closer, experts told ERR.

Ukrainian political scientist Artyom Dudchenko said any movement resulting from the visit was not in the direction of peace because Putin currently feels he is in a position of strength.

“He believes that the Russian army is genuinely succeeding in Ukraine, that defeating Ukraine will not take long and that he can force Ukraine to accept the terms of surrender that Putin himself is currently offering,” Dudchenko said.

Estonian security expert Raivo Vare said Putin likes Witkoff and Kushner and that the two envoys would likely visit Moscow again. However, Vare said he detected no signs of peace or a ceasefire.

Instead, he pointed to the need of the leaders of both major powers to appear in a favourable light before elections: Putin ahead of Russia’s State Duma elections in September and US President Donald Trump ahead of the midterm elections in November.

“The United States will probably demand an end to the bombing of Russia’s oil sector. So there is some movement,” Vare said. He added that the two sides might find an interim formula during this important period in which negotiations simply continue.

Chinese leader Xi is scheduled to visit Washington on September 24. Whether ending the war in Ukraine will be discussed there will depend primarily on China, Vare said.

Vare added that Russia and Ukraine were also preparing to continue fighting in 2027. Both sides were preparing for the war to continue into next year, he said, noting that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had spoken about this publicly and that Putin had clearly positioned himself for continued fighting, issuing official orders through next February.