US delegation to meet Putin in latest bid to end Ukraine war

As high-stakes war discussions unfold, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, are meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow today, where the Kremlin insists it is open to peace talks but maintains its war objectives must still be met, casting doubt on its willingness to end the conflict. Ahead of the meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with leaders of the UK and France, as well as Witkoff, and is now in Dublin for trade and security talks with Irish officials. Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Russia claims to have seized the strategic eastern city of Pokrovsk, a statement Ukraine has dismissed as political posturing aimed at shaping the negotiations. Professor of International Politics at Clinton Institute, University College Dublin, Scott Lucas joins us for more.