By Dmitry Antonov and Gleb Bryanski
MOSCOW, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of "highly useful" talks on Saturday with two U.S. envoys seeking a deal to end the Ukraine war, a Kremlin aide said, but he gave no indication of any breakthrough.
The ‌aide, Yuri Ushakov, said Americans Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner "outlined a number of ideas regarding possible avenues for a settlement". Ushakov did not say what ‌these ideas were.
He said Putin had told the pair that Russia was making "real progress" on the battlefield and was confident of achieving its goals, while stressing the necessity of addressing "all the root causes of the conflict".
These are statements that Moscow has made repeatedly since Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Russia's smaller neighbour in February 2022. Both sides have intensified long-range air strikes in recent weeks while the front lines remain largely static.

#putin #aide #antonov #gleb

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order on Wednesday requiring city contractors to disclose information about leadership diversity demographics, as well as report whether they have any ties to certain law enforcement agencies such as ICE, as he moves to use the city's purchasing power to impose new contracting standards.
Johnson said workplace data was necessary to identify discrimination and criticized the Trump administration's efforts to end federal reporting requirements.
"If you want to do business with this city, we want to know whether the people leading your company reflect the diversity of the communities whose tax dollars are paying your contracts," Johnson said.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused Johnson of punishing American companies for ***** isting federal immigration enforcement.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order imposing new disclosure requirements on companies seeking city contracts.

#diversity #whether