President Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner sat down with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Thursday, November 12, a day after U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi ended without a ceasefire but with an agreement on a large new prisoner exchange. The meeting, which Upstormed News previewed on Wednesday, began shortly after 2 p.m. Kyiv time (about 7 a.m. Eastern), according to Ukrainian outlet UA.NEWS.
The two envoys landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport Thursday morning and were greeted by Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, ABC News and Meduza reported. Their plan is to fly on to Dublin later in the day to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
What is new this morning
Several things have changed since our earlier coverage:
- The meeting is underway. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that the talks had begun and noted it is Witkoff’s 10th meeting with Putin. Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky, Dmitriev and Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov also took part, according to UA.NEWS.
- The Kremlin set expectations low. Ushakov told TASS he had held preliminary consultations with the Americans but that “nothing has been worked out yet.”
- Early remarks. Citing the Russian news agency Interfax, UA.NEWS reported that Putin pointed to progress on the humanitarian track and thanked Trump for helping arrange contacts, while Witkoff said he hoped peace had come closer after Abu Dhabi. No outcome had been announced as of this writing.
- A heavy night of strikes. Hours before the envoys arrived, Russia and Ukraine traded large drone and missile attacks (details below).
The night before the talks
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 123 drones, 73 of them jet-powered, along with Iskander, Banderol and Zircon missiles, ABC News reported. Ukraine said it intercepted or suppressed 89 drones and five Banderol missiles, with impacts recorded at 17 locations.
In Kyiv, a drone hit an apartment building in the Solomianskyi district, killing one person and injuring seven, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko. RFE/RL reported another death in the Kherson region and said strikes in the Rivne region left more than 160 settlements without power.
On the Russian side, the Defense Ministry said it downed 71 Ukrainian drones over several regions and Crimea, and Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said at least five were shot down approaching the capital. Temporary flight restrictions were placed on two Moscow-area airports, though not on Vnukovo, where the U.S. delegation landed.
Zelensky raises a satellite problem
Speaking in Ireland, where about 40 European leaders are gathering for the European Political Community meeting, Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had seen significant disruptions to Starshield, the SpaceX-built military satellite network, for several days. He said the problems made it harder to intercept Russia’s jet-powered drones and that Kyiv is seeking answers from the U.S. side, ABC News reported. RFE/RL said there was no immediate response from the U.S. government or SpaceX.
Zelensky said Washington should press Moscow to end the war and that Kyiv hopes for concrete results this year. He has said he expects a Russian response, relayed through the envoys, as early as Thursday evening.
Where the talks stand
The two days of trilateral U.S.-Russia-Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11, the first such round since February, produced a deal on a new prisoner exchange that Kushner called the largest of the war. No date for carrying it out has been announced, and RFE/RL reported no completion had been confirmed.
Kushner wrote afterward that both sides had shared specific ideas but that significant differences remain. The two countries are still far apart on occupied territory in Ukraine’s east and south, security guarantees, Ukraine’s NATO hopes and the size of its army. Medinsky said after Abu Dhabi that the sides had moved closer to peace but that territorial exchanges were out of the question, while Ukrainian negotiator Davyd Arakhamia spoke of momentum toward a deal by the New Year, according to Meduza and RFE/RL.
What to watch next
- Any readout from the Kremlin or the White House on what Putin told the envoys.
- The envoys’ meeting with Zelensky in Dublin and whether Kyiv receives a formal Russian response.
- A date for the prisoner exchange agreed in Abu Dhabi.
- Whether the U.S. explains the Starshield disruptions.
Upstormed News will keep following the talks and update readers as results are announced.
Why it matters for families
For families in Ukraine and Russia, every round of talks is measured in real terms: relatives who may come home in a prisoner exchange, and nights without air-raid sirens. For families elsewhere, the war has affected energy and food prices, and a lasting settlement could ease some of that pressure. Our earlier report on the swap explains how such exchanges usually work.
Read more: Abu Dhabi talks end with record prisoner swap deal, no Ukraine ceasefire
Do you think this round of diplomacy can bring a ceasefire before the New Year? Tell us in the comments.
Sources: ABC News, “Witkoff and Kushner arrive in Moscow to meet with Putin, discuss Ukraine peace talks” (November 12, 2026); RFE/RL, “Putin Meets US Envoys As Kyiv Reports Starshield Disruptions” (November 12, 2026); Meduza, “Witkoff and Kushner arrive in Moscow for talks with Putin” (November 12, 2026); TASS, “Kremlin aide comments on upcoming Putin-Witkoff-Kushner meeting, challenge facing EU” (November 12, 2026); UA.NEWS, “Video: Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin in Moscow to discuss peace in Ukraine” (November 12, 2026)
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