Will Trump succeed in restarting Russia-Ukraine peace talks?

What the report says

Al Jazeera says a recent visit by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv did not produce a breakthrough, but it may have opened a new diplomatic process. The piece, published on September 7, 2026, says both meetings were described as positive, while emphasizing that no immediate deal emerged. It frames the effort as part of President Donald Trump’s attempt to restart Russia-Ukraine peace talks.

The article argues that the main obstacle is Russia’s hardened position. It says Moscow is demanding Ukrainian neutrality, no Western military presence, limits on Ukraine’s armed forces, changes to language and political rules, and control over territory it already occupies. For Ukraine and its European supporters, these terms remain difficult to accept, especially as both sides continue to seek military leverage on the battlefield.

Al Jazeera also notes that the Kremlin is intensifying strikes on Ukraine’s economy and infrastructure, including energy, logistics and export routes, while Ukraine continues long-range attacks on Russian energy facilities. Against that backdrop, the visit by Witkoff and Kushner is presented as a sign that Washington is still trying to push talks forward despite skepticism from pro-war voices on all sides.

The article says the envoys have floated the idea of direct trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States. It also places the diplomacy in the wider context of war fatigue in Western countries, political pressure on Trump ahead of future US elections, and growing strain inside Ukraine.