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🇫🇷 France /Conflict & Security

Ukraine war: Trump's envoys travel to Moscow and, for the first time, Kyiv

From Le Figaro · () French

Translated from French and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Ongoing story
  • Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to Ukraine by train after meeting Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
  • The visit marked the first time the two American envoys had traveled to Ukraine.
  • No public diplomatic breakthrough emerged from their successive meetings with Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

They arrived by train, like ordinary travelers. After speculation that Donald Trump's envoys might fly into Ukraine, an exceptional prospect in airspace closed since 2022, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner reached Kyiv on Sunday morning.

Their Ukrainian visit followed a meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday. The talks apparently produced no concession from the Russian president, and no diplomatic breakthrough was publicly reported after the envoys met Putin and then Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

It was the first time the American pair had traveled to Ukraine. Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian president's office, greeted them at the station alongside Rustem Umerov, Kyiv's chief negotiator in talks with Moscow, and Davyd Arakhamia, head of the presidential faction in parliament.

All three Ukrainian officials had taken part in ceasefire talks in Abu Dhabi in February 2026. That episode was the latest diplomatic engagement between Kyiv, Washington and Moscow before the White House relegated the ceasefire process to the background.

About this summary

Originally published by Le Figaro in French. Translated, 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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