Ukraine-Russia war latest: No sign of breakthrough in Putin’s ‘highly useful’ peace talks as Trump envoys head to Kyiv

Russian drones hit Coca-Cola plant outside Kyiv, says ZelenskyRussian president Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow as Donald Trump’s administration stepped up efforts to broker an end to the Ukraine war.Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the talks were “substantive, constructive and extremely frank”, but he gave no indication of any breakthrough.He added that “the negotiations were timely and highly useful for both sides”. He said the US envoys “outlined a number of ideas regarding possible avenues for a settlement”, while Putin “reaffirmed Russia’s readiness to continue working with the US to find a political and diplomatic solution” to the conflict.Putin told the envoys that Russia was making “real progress” on the battlefield, and that “all the root causes of the conflict” needed to be addressed.Witkoff and Kushner have since left Moscow and are due to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday. Putin said he had ordered Russian forces to halt strikes on Kyiv after receiving a request through diplomatic and intelligence channels, while Ukraine has said it will similarly refrain from striking Moscow through Monday. Putin and Trump envoys discuss potential Russia-US business projectsTalks between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow went beyond efforts to end the Ukraine war, with the two sides also discussing potential major Russian-US economic projects, the Kremlin said.Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said: “Economic issues and potential major, mutually beneficial Russian-American projects were discussed in some detail.” He said the meeting was not simply an exchange of views over the war and described the discussions as “timely and highly useful for both sides.”Russian president Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Jared Kushner, US president Donald Trump's son-in-law, as US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff stands nearby during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia (Reuters)Shahana Yasmin6 September 2026 06:30Global food prices rise to highest level in nearly four yearsGlobal food prices rose to their highest level since November 2022 in August, with escalating attacks in the Black Sea disrupting grain exports from both Ukraine and Russia, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said.Russian and Ukrainian attacks on ports, grain terminals, and commercial vessels have delayed or cancelled dozens of cargoes during the peak export season. Some Asian buyers have already turned to wheat from Australia and Argentina to replace delayed Black Sea shipments, Reuters reported.The FAO’s cereal price index rose 2.2 per cent in August, while wheat prices climbed 2.6 per cent and were 15 per cent higher than a year earlier. The agency specifically cited “persistent disruptions to Black Sea export logistics” as a factor behind the increase.Shahana Yasmin6 September 2026 06:10IAEA brokers ceasefire to restore power to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plantA local ceasefire has taken effect around the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to allow repairs to a damaged power line, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.“This is a much-needed step at a critical time for nuclear safety and security. With diesel fuel supplies under increasing strain, the damaged power line must be repaired without delay so reliable external power can be restored,” Director General Grossi said.Ukrainian technicians, monitored by the IAEA, began work on the 330kV Ferosplavna-1 line after demining, and the repairs are expected to take several days. The plant has been without external power since 20 August and has been relying on diesel generators to run essential cooling systems, with fuel supplies under increasing strain, the IAEA said.A Russian service member stands guard at a checkpoint near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power (Reuters)Grossi added that the situation was “deeply concerning”, warning the plant could face a station blackout within days without restored external power or continued diesel supplies.Shahana Yasmin6 September 2026 05:50Russia says it will not strike Kyiv for three days during US visitRussia has ordered its military not to strike Kyiv for three days as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travel to the Ukrainian capital, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.Putin later told the envoys he had received a request through diplomatic and intelligence channels to guarantee their safety. “I issued the relevant order, and no strikes have been carried out on Kyiv since midnight,” he said.Shahana Yasmin6 September 2026 05:30Watch: Modi urges Putin to end Ukraine war ‘for humanity’s sake’Indian prime minister Narendra Modi urged Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine during talks in Bishkek on 31 August, saying “every step toward peace gives all of humanity real hope”. Putin thanked Modi and replied: “We are moving forward along this path.” Modi implores visibly-uncomfortable Putin to end Ukraine warShahana Yasmin6 September 2026 05:15Putin praises Trump’s efforts to end Ukraine warVladimir Putin praised Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine as he met the US president’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow.Speaking at the start of the meeting, Putin said: “Understanding that he is entering a difficult situation, he nevertheless does not stop his efforts to help bring about a settlement and to make his contribution to resolving the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.”Witkoff, meanwhile, said Trump had sent his best wishes and thanked Putin for the limited ceasefire during their visit.The talks lasted more than three hours, with Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov later describing them as “highly useful”, although no breakthrough was announced.(AFP/Getty)Shahana Yasmin6 September 2026 05:00Kremlin says Putin’s Ukraine peace demands remain ‘unshakeable’The Kremlin said on Friday that Vladimir Putin’s demands for ending the war in Ukraine remained “unshakeable”, one day before the Russian president was due to meet US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow.Moscow says Ukraine must cede the entirety of the four regions claimed by Russia – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – and abandon its ambition to join NATO. Kyiv has consistently rejected surrendering territory.Russian president Vladimir Putin, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, and Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev attend a meeting with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US president Donald Trump's son-in-law, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia (Reuters)Trump said on Friday that Witkoff and Kushner were taking “a proposal to end the war”, but did not disclose its contents. After their meeting with Putin on Saturday, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the US envoys had “outlined a number of ideas regarding possible avenues for a settlement”.Shahana Yasmin6 September 2026 04:45Kremlin says Putin’s Ukraine peace demands remain ‘unshakeable’The Kremlin said on Friday that Vladimir Putin’s demands for ending the war in Ukraine remained “unshakeable”, one day before the Russian president was due to meet US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow.Moscow says Ukraine must cede the entirety of the four regions claimed by Russia – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – and abandon its ambition to join NATO. Kyiv has consistently rejected surrendering territory.Trump said on Friday that Witkoff and Kushner were taking “a proposal to end the war”, but did not disclose its contents. After their meeting with Putin on Saturday, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the US envoys had “outlined a number of ideas regarding possible avenues for a settlement”.Shahana Yasmin6 September 2026 04:30ICYMI: Russian attacks kill 4 in Ukraine as Moscow and Kyiv prepare for visit by US envoysShahana Yasmin6 September 2026 04:15Putin says Russia is making ‘real progress’ in Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin told US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner that Russia was making “real progress” on the battlefield and remained confident of achieving its goals in Ukraine, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.Ushakov said Putin also stressed the need to address “all the root causes of the conflict” during more than three hours of talks in Moscow on Saturday.Ukraine said Russia launched ballistic missiles and 167 drones overnight on Saturday, with 128 drones shot down or suppressed and strikes recorded at 23 locations. Five people were killed and five injured when a Russian ballistic missile hit an industrial enterprise in Kamianske, while Russian drones struck an Epicenter shopping centre in Mykolaiv, injuring two people.Putin has ordered Russian forces not to strike Kyiv for three days from midnight on Saturday, while Zelensky said Ukraine would refrain from strikes on Moscow through Monday.Witkoff and Kushner left Moscow after the talks and are due to meet Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday.Shahana Yasmin6 September 2026 04:00