Russia’s presidential aide Yury Ushakov speaks with journalists while waiting for a meeting of President Vladimir Putin and Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Moscow, Russia, November 12, 2025. Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab
Dec 5 (Reuters) – The Kremlin’s top foreign policy adviser said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff have achieved a level of understanding that made their discussions “truly friendly”.
Yuri Ushakov also said that the inclusion in Tuesday’s Kremlin talks of U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, had added a systematic element to the talks.
“I would say that the tone – and I am not afraid to say this – was constructive and friendly,” Ushakov told Russian state television as Putin visited India.
“Putin knows Witkoff well, he’s met him six times. And their conversations are truly friendly. They understand each other without things actually being said.”
Putin met Witkoff and Kushner for five hours in the Kremlin, focusing on a U.S.-backed plan for a settlement of the war in Ukraine, where Moscow launched a full-scale invasion in 2022. Putin later described the talks as “very useful”.
In his comments, Ushakov said Kushner’s participation had been “quite timely”.
“Alongside Witkoff’s charm and friendliness, he added an element of a systematic approach. I personally believe that if some sort of plan leading to a settlement continues to be drawn up on paper, Kushner will be doing much of the writing.”
Witkoff met with Ukraine’s senior negotiator Rustem Umerov in Florida on Thursday and was due to meet him there again on Friday, a source familiar with the matter said.
It was not immediately clear if Kushner was participating in those meetings with Umerov.
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