U.S. negotiators Kushner and Witkoff arrive in Kyiv after talks with Putin
Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff landed in Kyiv for a second day of discussions on ending the war, following three-hour talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff arrived in Kyiv on Sunday for a second day of negotiations aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine. They met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Sophia Square near the historic Saint Sophia Cathedral, where Zelenskyy greeted Witkoff with a hug and said, "It’s good to see you, Steve."
The visit follows a three-hour meeting in Moscow with President Vladimir Putin, marking the first time the American team has traveled to Ukraine after multiple trips to Russia. The talks are part of an intensified diplomatic push, though the specifics of any peace proposal have not been disclosed.
British, French and German national security advisers were reported to be in Kyiv earlier in the day. The negotiations are centered on a 20-point peace plan presented by Washington and Kyiv in December, with disagreements remaining over control of territory in eastern Ukraine.
A White House official said the Moscow talks "discussed substantive plans for next steps" toward ending the war and that an announcement was expected in the coming weeks.
Senior Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov described the discussions as "extremely frank" and noted an acknowledgement of the need to address "the root causes of the conflict."
Moscow and Kyiv agreed to a three-day cease-fire on strikes against each other's capitals to facilitate the talks. However, Russian drone attacks on Kyiv’s main airports on Friday disrupted earlier plans for the envoys to travel via Moscow. Ukrainian airspace remains closed, and most foreign visitors have arrived by train.
The capital has endured a sustained wave of drone strikes for more than a week, though a temporary lull reduced daily air-raid alerts. Ukrainian authorities reported at least eight civilian deaths and 69 injuries across the country on Sunday.
Ukraine continues to face a shortage of U.S.-made Patriot interceptor missiles needed to counter fast, jet-powered Russian drones, while officials warn of the war extending into a fifth year and the challenges of an upcoming winter.