Trump’s Envoys Hold Talks With Zelenskyy After Meeting Putin, No Breakthrough On Peace
By Manisha Roy
Although Witkoff and Kushner have made multiple trips to Moscow, the two Trump envoys had not previously travelled to Kyiv for talks.
A day after holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, US special representatives Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday.
The US envoys landed in Kyiv earlier in the day, marking their first visit to the Ukrainian capital. The talks focused on efforts to end the more than four-year-long war with Russia.
Although Witkoff and Kushner have made multiple trips to Moscow, the two Trump envoys had not previously travelled to Kyiv for talks. Their visit comes as the Ukrainian capital continues to face Russian attacks more than four years into the war.
Zelenskyy Thanks Trump For US Delegation Visit
“It is very important that the delegation has arrived to see us. We have been waiting a long time for Steve and Jared, Witkoff and Kushner,” Zelenskyy said, thanking Trump for “allowing them to come” amid the war.
The US officials travelled into Kyiv by train, as foreign dignitaries visiting Ukraine have done during the conflict. A platform at Kyiv Central Station carried the words “Peace Express” as the delegation arrived.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine had made preparations to resume operations at its airports, but ongoing Russian attacks prevented the US officials from flying into the country. “We have prepared everything to make our airports operational,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Russian strikes made air travel impossible.
Ukraine has kept its airspace shut to civilian traffic since Russia began its full-scale invasion in 2022. The Ukrainian president also said national security advisers from several European countries would join parts of the discussions as the sides work towards ending the conflict.
Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine have agreed to refrain from carrying out strikes on each other while the US envoys are in the region for diplomatic discussions. Before the negotiations began, Zelenskyy accompanied Witkoff and Kushner to Kyiv’s historic Saint Sophia’s Cathedral.
US Revives Ukraine Peace Talks
The two US officials are seeking to restart diplomatic efforts aimed at bringing an end to the war, which has intensified sharply over the summer and remains the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II. Russia’s invasion has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and forced millions of people from their homes.
A White House official told AFP that the US representatives had “discussed substantive plans which will be announced in the coming weeks” during their meeting in Moscow. The Kremlin said the American delegation had “put forward a number of ideas on possible routes to a settlement”, without providing further details about the proposals.
Further, Putin has repeatedly maintained that Moscow seeks control over the remaining parts of eastern Ukraine. Russian forces also stepped up their attacks during the summer, resulting in a surge in deadly strikes.
