The key facts
- Kushner joined the Putin–Witkoff talks in Saint Petersburg remotely, as confirmed by Dmitry Peskov.
- Kushner's personal participation was initially expected, but due to illness he was included in the conversation online.
- On September 5, Kushner had already come to the Kremlin with Witkoff; that meeting lasted three hours and ten minutes.
Remote participation in the talks
Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump and a member of the American negotiating team, joined remotely in the meeting between Vladimir Putin and White House special envoy Steve Witkoff in Saint Petersburg. The information was confirmed by the Russian president's press secretary Dmitry Peskov: asked by TASS journalists whether the American negotiator had indeed joined the conversation by phone, he answered in the affirmative — due to illness, his participation was arranged remotely.
Kushner's previous experience in negotiations with Moscow
This is not Kushner's first direct contact with the Russian leadership. On September 5, he arrived at the Kremlin together with Steve Witkoff for a meeting with Vladimir Putin; the conversation lasted three hours and ten minutes. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov described those talks as substantive, constructive and trusting, noting that the sides discussed not only the Ukrainian conflict but also the prospects for major joint economic projects between Russia and the United States. Subsequently, Witkoff reported progress after the consultations in Moscow and Kyiv, including on the issue of arranging new trilateral meetings. On September 8, Putin and Trump discussed by phone the results of the American negotiators' trips.
Why this matters
The fact that Kushner joined by video link shows that he retains his status as an active participant in the negotiating track even when personal presence is impossible — this is an editorial interpretation following from Peskov's confirmation and his earlier participation in the Kremlin meeting on September 5. For the course of the Russian-American consultations, this means that the composition of the American side did not change due to illness. The details of the content of the current Saint Petersburg conversation have not been disclosed in available publications, and an assessment of its outcomes has not yet been voiced.
