US Envoys Witkoff and Kushner Arrive in Kyiv After Putin Talks

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Kyiv by train from Poland, beginning their first official visit to Ukraine as part of renewed US efforts to advance peace talks with Russia.

The envoys had spent more than three hours meeting Vladimir Putin in Moscow the previous day. Putin declared a three-day ceasefire to ensure their safety. The Moscow meeting ended without a public announcement, although Putin's foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, called the discussions constructive, frank and useful.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was ready for a constructive conversation with the US representatives. “We are interested in bringing the end of the war closer,” he wrote on social media. “Peace is needed. Security guarantees are needed. A just and sustainable postwar peace is needed. Our proposals are prepared.”

National security advisers from the United Kingdom, France and Germany were also in Kyiv for talks with the US envoys, Reuters reported, citing a source familiar with the matter. The discussions came after President Donald Trump's push to end the war stalled in recent months. Earlier negotiations have struggled over major issues, including the future of the industrial Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.

Ushakov said the Moscow talks also covered economic matters and potentially large Russia-US projects. For Kyiv, firm security guarantees from Washington and European allies remain central to deterring further Russian aggression.

Kyrylo Budanov, Zelenskyy's chief of staff, told The New York Times that he did not expect the fighting to end before spring 2027. He also forecast further Russian strategic air strikes this winter. The article said the war had intensified in recent months, with Russia seeking to conquer all of Donbas and targeting Kyiv with drones, while Ukraine focused drone attacks on Russia's energy sector and online retailers deep inside the country.

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We are interested in bringing the end of the war closer. Peace is needed. Security guarantees are needed. A just and sustainable postwar peace is needed. Our proposals are prepared.