Moscow, Russia
As part of US efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner first met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and later Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Both sides described the talks as positive and satisfactory, but no agreement has yet been reached on the key conditions for ending the war.
In Moscow, the US envoys held talks with Putin for around three hours. Yuri Ushakov, the Russian president’s foreign affairs adviser, said the discussions were positive and productive, but Russia’s war objectives had not changed. Moscow continues to demand control over the Donbas and insists that Ukraine remain outside NATO.
Witkoff and Kushner then arrived in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, on Sunday and held talks with Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy emphasized the need for concrete security guarantees for Ukraine’s future alongside any peace agreement. The Ukrainian side also described the discussions as positive.
According to a senior Ukrainian official, the US envoys held two rounds of talks with Zelenskyy and senior Ukrainian officials. A meeting with representatives from France, Germany and the United Kingdom was also proposed afterward.
Meanwhile, there have been no reports of any major attacks in Moscow or Kyiv, although reports emerged that a Ukrainian vessel in the Black Sea had been attacked by Russia.
With the war having continued for nearly four and a half years, this marks the first visit to Kyiv by Witkoff and Kushner. Attacks between the two countries have intensified in recent months. As a result, hopes for a peace agreement through US mediation have increased, but issues such as territorial control and Ukraine’s future security arrangements remain the biggest obstacles.
