Trump sent envoys to meet Putin in Moscow while Russian strikes kept hitting Ukraine. Real diplomacy, or rewarding bad behavior?
Witkoff and Kushner carried what Trump called a 'concrete proposal' to end the war, even as a Russian strike killed five people and a shaky three-day ceasefire fell apart within hours. Trump blames a 'personality problem' between Putin and Zelenskyy for the war dragging on.
What happened
President Trump sent envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow on September 5-6 to meet Putin with what Trump called a ‘concrete proposal’ to end the war, then had them travel to Kyiv. The trip came the same day a Russian strike on Kamianske in southeastern Ukraine killed at least five people, and a limited three-day ceasefire Russia and Ukraine had announced fell apart within hours as Russian attacks continued overnight.
Why people disagree
Supporters of the envoy trip argue any path to actually ending the war has to run through direct talks with Moscow, whatever the timing looks like. Critics argue sending top envoys to Putin the same day Russian strikes killed civilians sends the message that continued attacks carry no real diplomatic cost — and that a ceasefire Russia breaks within hours isn't a good-faith starting point for negotiations.
What's still unclear
Whether this round of diplomacy produces anything more durable than the several ceasefires that have already collapsed this year, or whether Trump's ‘personality problem’ framing undersells how far apart the two sides actually are on substance.
Sources
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