US Envoys Head To Ukraine From Moscow. Despite ‘Highly Useful Talks’ Peace Remains Elusive.

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were hailed as peacemakers by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev as they arrived in Moscow for talks to end Russia's war with Ukraine.

As Witkoff and Kushner head to Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday, there are no signs emanating from the Kremlin that progress has been made on the peace front.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of "highly useful" talks with Witkoff and Kushner, Reuters reported. The US envoys are reportedly seeking a deal to end the Ukraine war.

Top Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the envoys "outlined a number of ideas regarding possible avenues for a settlement." Ushakov did not say what these ideas were.

Putin told them that Russia was making "real progress" on the battlefield, was confident of achieving its goals. He also stressed the need to address "all the root causes of the conflict."

These are essentially statements that the Russian leader has made since the beginning of its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. There is no hint of a probability of a compromise formula emerging from Moscow, if these statements alone are to go by.

Russia and Ukraine have announced a temporary ceasefire to facilitate the journey of the US envoys.

The US envoys' trip comes amid an escalation in aerial attacks by both sides as the protracted conflict shows no signs of abating. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had announced a halt on airstrikes aimed at facilitating the envoys' visit on Friday. Zelenskyy had also urged Moscow to reciprocate the gesture.

Washington has been pushing to end the conflict, which is now in its fifth year. The conflict lost momentum after the US attention veered to its conflict with Iran in the Middle East, which began late in February.

A White House official was quoted as saying by Reuters the talks had been "substantive." The next steps would be announced in the coming weeks, he said.

Witkoff and Kushner had visited Moscow in January also, seeing an end to the conflict, on behalf of US President Donald Trump. They did not make any comment.

"The talks went beyond a mere exchange of views on resolving the Ukrainian crisis. Economic issues and potential major, mutually beneficial Russian-American projects were discussed in some detail," Ushakov was quoted as saying by the news outlet. "Overall, one can say that the negotiations were timely and highly useful for both sides."

Putin's investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, posted on X that the meeting had been an "important peacemaking visit." He and Ushakov were present. The Russian president praised Trump's efforts to end the war.

Trump had hinted on Friday that the US had a fresh proposal to end the war without offering details.

Russia and Ukraine have few converging points on how to end the war, the deadliest in Europe since World War Two.

For Russia, capturing more territory is a proclaimed stance. For Ukraine, an end to the relentless bombardment by Russia complemented by a honorable exit proposition is ideal.

The Kremlin has reiterated that Ukraine should cede the entire territory of four regions claimed by Russia and abandon its plan to join NATO. That gives peace little space in the present scenario.