How the U.S. focus on Iran is fueling a more aggressive Putin

+ focus on Iran is fueling a more aggressive Putin September 5, 20267:43 AM ET Heard on Weekend Edition Saturday By Charles Maynes , Scott Simon How the U.S.

+ focus on Iran is fueling a more aggressive Putin Listen &middot; 3:26 3:26 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5955705/nx-s1-9915453" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript Trump's top envoys head to Moscow and Kyiv as Putin steps up round the clock bombing of Ukraine.

+ Sponsor Message Transcript SCOTT SIMON, HOST: President Trump says he's reviving efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine. He dispatched his two top envoys, Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, for talks aimed at ending the conflict. They arrived in Moscow today, according to Russian state media.

+ (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Two great negotiators. They've done a great job, and we sent them over to see whether or not we can get something done. And there may be a good chance that we'll do it. SIMON: And they're expected to later travel to Kyiv. NPR's Charles Maynes joins us from Moscow. Charles, thanks so much for being with us. CHARLES MAYNES, BYLINE: Good morning, Scott. SIMON: What do we know about the timing of the visit? MAYNES: Well, you know, we've been hearing rumors of Witkoff and Kushner coming all summer, only to see the trip repeatedly pushed back. And, of course, these two have been busy, deeply involved with negotiations over Iran, Israel and the war in Gaza, but their reengagement on Ukraine now comes as some things are changing with Russia's war. Keep in mind, CIA director John Ratcliffe was recently in Moscow for a brief visit with his Russian counterparts in the intelligence community. Presumably, Ukraine was part of those discussions. So it could be there's a new diplomatic window here, but the prevailing view is that the U.S. is concerned this conflict is about to escalate even further than it already has. SIMON: How so? MAYNES: Well, with the front lines essentially stalled, both sides have turned to air attacks to inflict maximum damage on the other. That's meant near-daily Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian energy and logistics infrastructure here that's caused, for example, widespread gas shortages. And Russia, meanwhile, is openly promising another winter of misery for Ukraine, vowing to dismantle its energy infrastructure entirely, something they really can do almost at will now that Kyiv is low on U.S.-made interceptors like the Patriot missiles. So both sides are also, I should say, hacking away at the other's ability to export grain through the Black Sea region. That's raised concerns about global food shortages as we head into the winter months. And if that's not bad enough, there's also a possible new front in Europe with NATO allies increasingly angry over alleged Russian hybrid attacks and sabotage that risk the war spilling beyond Ukraine. SIMON: Charles, why would Russia want to provoke NATO? MAYNES: Well, Russian President Vladimir Putin insists they don't, and that this is all kind of anti-Russian hype by European politicians, even though he has threatened to respond to European military aid to Ukraine. And clearly, something is going on. I mean, there's been a spate of sabotage and cyberattack incidents across Europe, even most recently, a failed drone attack on a German airport. And if, indeed, these incidents are sponsored by Russia - and, for example, the Germans now openly say the airport incident was - they present a challenge, because these attacks are seemingly not enough to trigger a military response by NATO, but they still undermine European security. So how to diffuse the situation? Well, enter Witkoff and Kushner, perhaps, two figures that Putin has made clear are welcome in Moscow. SIMON: What do you think they can expect? MAYNES: Well, safe passage for one, and that's no small thing, given that Ukraine has threatened to swarm Russian skies with drones to the point where it's unsafe to fly. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, last night, released a video saying that Ukraine would ensure the normal functioning of Russian airspace for the Americans, adding he wanted their trip to be as constructive and substantive as possible. Meanwhile, through his spokesman, Putin announced a three-day pause on strikes on Kyiv, while the Americans traveled to Ukraine in what amounts to Kushner and Witkoff's first trip to Kyiv since Trump began trying to negotiate an end to this conflict. SIMON: NPR's Charles Maynes in Moscow. Thanks so much. MAYNES: Thank you. Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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