Putin says US-Russia contacts beneficial as talks begin with Witkoff and Kushner

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev leave a restaurant in central Moscow, Russia, September 5, 2026. REUTERS/Ramil Sitdikov

MOSCOW, Sept ⁠5 (Reuters) - Russian President ⁠Vladimir Putin told U.S. ‌special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Saturday that ​contacts between Moscow ⁠and Washington ⁠were always beneficial, and that ⁠Russia ‌found it convenient to work ⁠with them.

Witkoff said U.S. President ​Donald ‌Trump had sent his ⁠best ​wishes to Putin and thanked him for a ⁠ceasefire during the ​U.S. delegation's visit. Putin said Russia would do its ⁠utmost to ensure the safety of the mediators.

The two U.S. special representatives ​arrived in ⁠Moscow for talks on ​ending the ‌war in Ukraine.

(Reporting ​by Anton Kolodyazhnyy, Editing by Timothy Heritage)