US Hopes for Direct Talks Between Moscow and Kyiv

The US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner left Kyiv without a clear breakthrough, but Washington still hopes to bring Ukraine and Russia back to direct talks. Fighting continues away from the capitals, while the details of the peace proposals remain undisclosed.

It is unclear whether direct negotiations under US mediation will resume. Kushner said after the first visit by the US envoys to Kyiv that returning to a trilateral format could produce progress. The United States last mediated direct Russian-Ukrainian discussions in February, when the talks took place in Switzerland. Negotiations then stalled, while Washington was also distracted by the war in Iran.

Ukrainian leaders and their European allies have accused the US administration of failing to apply enough pressure on Russia. Before the trip, President Donald Trump said Witkoff and his son-in-law Kushner would bring a new proposal aimed at ending the war. Zelenskyy appeared with the envoys before reporters in Kyiv, but no concrete details from the discussions emerged.

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It is really a difficult problem.

Kushner acknowledged the difficulty, saying, "It is really a difficult problem." He nevertheless repeatedly stressed how much Trump cares about finding a solution, despite the president's earlier claim that he could end the war within 24 hours.

Security advisers to the leaders of Germany, France and Britain also took part in parts of the Kyiv discussions. Zelenskyy said Ukraine, Europe and the United States had agreed to meet soon, without giving a date. He reiterated that resolving major issues, including the division of contested territories, would require a meeting at the highest level.

Zelenskyy described the talks as extremely substantive but indicated that little measurable had emerged. Ukrainian media quoted him as saying that if the war continued into winter, as currently appears likely, Ukraine would need a winter package. Kyiv is also concerned about shortages of ammunition for its air-defense systems.

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