US representative expected in Moscow for Ukraine talks

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday in a fresh bid to end the war in Ukraine.

The talks follow several meetings between US representatives, Ukraine and European leaders.

The meeting is on Putin's schedule, according to his spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Witkoff confirmed a meeting with Putin on Thursday to the US broadcaster CNBC.

US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will once again accompany Witkoff. The two were in Moscow in December for talks with Putin. On Tuesday, they spoke with Moscow negotiator Kirill Dmitriev on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Washington is trying to broker an end to the near four-year long war. However, on fundamental issues such as Russian territorial claims in Ukraine, the positions of Moscow and Kiev are far apart. Russia has so far insisted on maximum demands.

The US is talking to Ukraine and its European allies on the one hand, and to Russia on the other. There are currently no direct negotiations between Moscow and Kiev.