US-mediated diplomacy has intensified recently, with President Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner holding separate multi-hour meetings with Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv in early September 2026. These produced no announced breakthrough on core issues such as territorial control or security guarantees. Russia halted strikes on the Ukrainian capital during the visit but resumed missile and drone attacks on Kyiv immediately afterward, killing civilians. Zelenskyy described the discussions as substantive and expressed hope for trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia, and the United States possibly later in September, while Putin has long conditioned any direct leader-level meeting on prior expert-level agreements. Ongoing frontline fighting and air campaigns continue to shape trader assessments of near-term personal engagement between the two presidents.