Keir Simmons

2 weeks ago | nbcnews.com | Keir Simmons |Alexander Murray Smith

May 20, 2025, 12:25 PM EDTThe phone call between President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin may not have achieved great strides on ending the war in Ukraine, but it did confirm one thing: The bromance is real. But a question is left hanging: What does this bonhomie actually deliver for the men in the Kremlin and White House?

3 weeks ago | nbcnews.com | Alexander Murray Smith |Keir Simmons |Artem Grudinin

May 16, 2025, 7:02 AM EDTA diplomatic frenzy consumed Istanbul’s Dolmabahçe Palace on Friday, as Russia and Ukraine sat down to hold their first direct peace talks since the early months of this three-year war. Amid repeatedly changing plans, diplomats from Moscow, Kyiv, Washington, London, Paris and Berlin were attempting to navigate the chaos and confusion ahead of what could either be a historic moment — or a looming anti-climax.

3 weeks ago | nbcnews.com | Mithil Aggarwal |Keir Simmons

May 15, 2025, 6:21 AM EDTConfusion swirled around high-stakes peace talks between Russia and Ukraine called for by Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday, as the Kremlin confirmed that Putin himself would be skipping the negotiations.

3 weeks ago | nbcnews.com | Keir Simmons |Mirna Alsharif

MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin of Russia said early Sunday that his country is committed to direct talks with Kyiv about ending their war, and suggested the next discussions begin May 15 in Turkey. He said he was scheduled to speak to Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, later Sunday with hopes of holding talks next week in Istanbul. There would be no preconditions on Russia's part, he said.

3 weeks ago | nbcnews.com | Keir Simmons |Carol Lee |Dan De Luce |Courtney Kube

MOSCOW — President Donald Trump’s special envoy broke with long-standing protocol by not employing his own interpreter during threehigh-level meetings with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, opting instead to rely on translators from the Kremlin, a U.S. official and two Western officials with knowledge of the talks told NBC News. Steve Witkoff, who has been tasked with negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine, met with Putin in Moscow for several hours on Feb.