US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff held talks yesterday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on ending the war with Russia, making their first visit to Kyiv a day after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskiy published a video of meeting the two in central Kyiv, saying: “Talks have begun.”
Witkoff and Kushner have visited Moscow eight times, but had never held talks in Kyiv until now.
Photo: EPA
Ukraine’s top security officials and negotiators were also present, along with several European national security advisers.
Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin on Saturday to “advance [US] President [Donald] Trump’s agenda of peace in the Russia-Ukraine War,” a White House official said. “The two sides discussed substantive plans for next steps, which will be announced in the coming weeks, and look forward to equally productive meetings tomorrow in Ukraine.”
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov called the talks “extremely frank,” saying the US “put forward a number of ideas on possible routes to a settlement,” but did not elaborate.
The Russian side told the US side that Moscow was “confident” it could achieve its military goals of seizing the rest of eastern Ukraine, Ushakov added.
Russia and Ukraine have vowed not to strike each other’s capitals for three days around the envoys’ visit.
Zelenskiy yesterday said Ukraine was “ready for the conversation.”
“Ukraine has always been and will remain constructive,” he said.
For many Ukrainians, hopes of a breakthrough remain slim.
“At this point it doesn’t give me any hope. There have already been too many negotiations,” resident Yaroslav said.
In televised comments before the talks, Putin said Russia would ensure the safety of the envoys in Kyiv.
“We will do everything that depends on us to ensure the safety of the negotiation process and mediators such as yourselves,” Putin told Witkoff and Kushner.
Putin also thanked Trump for persisting in his efforts to end the war despite it being “not simple.”
Of the envoys’ trip to Kyiv, he said: “No matter what happens next, contacts of this kind are undoubtedly always beneficial.”
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