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🇩🇪 Germany /Conflict & Security

Ukraine war: U.S. hopes for direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv

From Die Zeit · () German

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

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Ongoing story
  • U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Moscow and Kyiv, but the details of their proposed peace plan remain unclear.
  • Jared Kushner said a return to a trilateral format could advance efforts, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said little concrete had emerged.
  • Ukraine and its European allies accuse Washington of failing to put enough pressure on Russia, as Kyiv warns that a prolonged war could threaten critical infrastructure during winter.

The U.S. hopes its latest diplomatic push can revive direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv, but the visit of envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner produced few visible results for Ukraine. The two envoys traveled to Moscow and Kyiv, yet it remains unclear what proposals they presented to the parties or whether negotiations will resume under U.S. mediation.

It is really a difficult problem.

· Jared KushnerThe U.S. envoy acknowledged the difficulty of finding a peace solution after talks in Moscow and Kyiv.

Kushner said at the end of the envoys’ first visit to the Ukrainian capital that a return to a trilateral format could bring progress. The United States last mediated direct Russian-Ukrainian discussions in February, when the sides met in Switzerland. Those talks had stalled in recent months, while Washington was also distracted by the war with Iran.

Ukrainian officials and their European allies have accused the administration in Washington of failing to apply enough pressure on Russia. President Donald Trump had said before the trip that Witkoff and his son-in-law Kushner would bring a new proposal to end the war. But although Zelenskyy appeared with the envoys in Kyiv, no concrete details from their discussions were released.

We have agreed that Ukraine, Europe and America will meet soon.

· Volodymyr ZelenskyyThe Ukrainian president described an agreement to hold a further meeting with European and U.S. representatives.

Kushner acknowledged the difficulty of the task, saying, “It is really a difficult problem.” He repeatedly stressed how much Trump cared about finding a solution, despite the president’s earlier claim that he could end the war within 24 hours. Security advisers from Germany, France and Britain also took part in parts of the Kyiv talks. Zelenskyy said Ukraine, Europe and the United States had agreed to meet soon, though he gave no date.

Extremely substantive

· Volodymyr ZelenskyyZelenskyy characterized his discussions with Witkoff and Kushner while noting that little tangible had emerged.

Zelenskyy said the most important issues, including the division of disputed territory, would require a meeting at the highest level. He described the talks with Witkoff and Kushner as “extremely substantive,” but also made clear that little tangible had been achieved. If the war continues into winter, he said, Ukraine will need a “winter package.” Kyiv fears that shortages of ammunition for its air-defense systems could leave critical infrastructure vulnerable to unrestricted Russian ballistic-missile attacks.

Winter package

· Volodymyr ZelenskyyThe Ukrainian president said Kyiv would need additional support if the war continued into winter.
About this summary

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. 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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