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Trump envoys arrive in Kyiv after meeting Putin in Moscow

From Irish Times · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Kyiv to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after holding more than three hours of talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
  • Kyiv remains pessimistic about meaningful progress, while Trump says the envoys are carrying a proposal to end the war.
  • The visit comes as Russia continues to demand Ukrainian control over the remainder of Donetsk, a condition Kyiv has rejected.

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Kyiv after meeting Vladimir Putin in Moscow, carrying a US peace initiative that has already met widespread scepticism in Ukraine.

We are ready for the conversation. Ukraine has always been and will remain constructive. Security guarantees are needed. A dignified character of the postwar peace is needed. Our proposals are ready.

· Volodymyr ZelenskyyThe Ukrainian president set out Kyiv’s position before meeting the US envoys.

The two envoys were greeted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Kyiv’s historic St Sophia’s Cathedral before talks. Zelenskyy had assembled his negotiating team ahead of their arrival. “We are ready for the conversation. Ukraine has always been and will remain constructive,” he wrote on X. “Security guarantees are needed. A dignified character of the postwar peace is needed. Our proposals are ready.”

Their visit followed more than three hours of discussions with Putin on Saturday. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov described the meeting as “substantive, constructive, extremely frank and trusting,” and said Putin had reaffirmed his readiness to work with the United States on political and diplomatic solutions. The talks also covered economic issues and possible Russian-US projects. A White House official said plans for the next steps would be announced in the coming weeks.

not a simple one

· Vladimir PutinPutin used the phrase to describe the situation in Ukraine when opening his meeting with Witkoff and Kushner.

Trump said on Friday that his envoys were “bringing with them a proposal to end the war”, but gave no details. People familiar with the thinking in Kyiv said Ukraine was pessimistic about the chances of meaningful progress. The latest US-brokered talks, held in February, produced little progress after Putin insisted that Ukraine surrender the rest of the Donetsk region.

substantive, constructive, extremely frank and trusting

· Yuri UshakovThe Kremlin foreign policy aide described Putin’s talks with the US envoys.

Kyiv has repeatedly rejected that demand, which would require handing over a belt of fortified cities that Russian forces have failed to capture in fighting dating back to 2014. Although Putin ordered a pause in air strikes on Kyiv as the envoys prepared to visit, air-raid sirens sounded intermittently on Saturday, while Russian and Ukrainian forces continued exchanging drone strikes overnight. The article ends while noting that earlier Moscow visits by Kushner and Witkoff had also failed to produce a breakthrough.

bringing with them a proposal to end the war

· Donald TrumpTrump described what Witkoff and Kushner would take to Kyiv, without giving details of the proposal.
About this summary

Originally published by Irish Times. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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