Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said US–Russia talks on ending the nearly four-year Ukraine war were “productive,” though substantial work remains. Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as Washington pushes a peace deal amid concerns over Trump’s earlier proposal favouring Moscow.
A Soyuz booster rocket lifted off as scheduled from the Russia-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan to put the Soyuz MS-27 carrying the trio in orbit
The talks are expected to focus on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the rising tensions in Ukraine, as well as arms control, cybersecurity and climate change.
The two presidents agreed to have their teams work urgently to complete a five-year extension of the New START nuclear weapons treaty that expires next month.