The latest meeting between Vladimir Putin and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner also failed to deliver any breakthrough because Putin has no need for one.

"Russia senses that as winter approaches, it has an opportunity to destroy Ukraine's economic infrastructure to the greatest possible extent. Ukraine's air defense problem is growing and serious," said Marko Mihkelson, chair of the Riigikogu Foreign Affairs Committee.

"Dear colleagues, I warmly welcome you to Moscow. The situation we have to deal with today is, of course, complicated," Putin said.

"The Russian side gave a clear and comprehensive assessment of the situation that has developed in the course of the special operation. In particular, the tangible successes of the Russian army in the combat zone were noted, confidence was expressed that the objectives that had been set would be achieved and, naturally, the need to address the root causes of the conflict was emphasized," Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said.

"The Trump administration certainly does not have a good understanding of just how deep the roots of this war really go. In Moscow, Putin once again reminded Witkoff and Kushner that this war cannot be ended until the root causes are addressed. We know that the root cause has not been some desire by NATO to expand, but rather the desire to restore the Russian Empire and shift borders through force and violence, as Russia does every day against Ukraine," Mihkelson said.

The meeting in Moscow also explored opportunities for doing business with Russia.

"Economic issues were also discussed in considerable detail, as were potential major Russian-American projects that would benefit both sides," Ushakov said.

"Kushner and Witkoff are not ordinary diplomats. Above all, they also represent interests that extend beyond conventional diplomacy and by that I mean economic interests in particular. The desire to restore some kind of normal interaction between the United States and Russia unfortunately gives Putin confidence that he can manipulate anyone who comes to talk to him," Mihkelson said.

One tangible benefit, however, may be that Kyiv was not bombed while the U.S. envoys were in Ukraine.

"When I arrived at Kyiv's train station in the morning, a good colleague from the Verkhovna Rada was there to greet me cheerfully and said, 'You know how wonderful it is? We got to sleep last night.' For the past 10 days or so, Russian airstrikes have been taking place here without interruption," Mihkelson said. (Air strikes on Kyiv resumed in the early hours of Tuesday — ed.).

What was actually discussed in Moscow and what was agreed upon, however, is something we will probably only find out later, when the memoirs are written.

"We were just sitting on the terrace — me, Jared and Kirill — and then Yuri joined us, and we talked about how, when we eventually retire, we'll have all these incredible stories and memories to tell, and these are the most extraordinary ones of all," Witkoff said.

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