U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Kyiv on Sunday for direct talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The meetings follow a Moscow encounter with Putin aimed at ending the war.
Putin pauses Ukraine strikes after Kusher, Witkoff meeting
President Zelenskyy said he met with his negotiating team earlier and affirmed Kyiv’s readiness for the discussions, calling for peace, security guarantees and a dignified postwar settlement.
“Ukraine has always been and will remain constructive,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “We are interested in bringing the end of the war closer. Peace is needed. Security guarantees are needed. A dignified character of the postwar peace is needed.”
“Our proposals are ready,” he added. “It is important to work in a coordinated, substantive, and realistic manner.”
White House officials said the two sides discussed “substantive plans for next steps,” with announcements expected in the coming weeks, and expressed hope for equally productive talks in Ukraine.
Putin’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov described the Moscow meeting as “constructive, frank and useful,” but offered no specific outcomes.
Ushakov said Moscow presented its “comprehensive assessment” of the battlefield and also raised economic issues and potential joint projects between Russia and the United States.
President Donald Trump announced Friday that he sent Witkoff and Kushner, his son‑in‑law and advisor, to determine whether a peace agreement could be reached, calling them “two great negotiators.”
Trump said the United States “has an idea for peace” and that there is “a good chance that we’ll do it.”
Despite the diplomatic activity, major differences remain, including Kyiv’s rejection of Russia’s demand to withdraw from parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Both sides have continued drone and missile strikes overnight, though they agreed to pause attacks on each other’s capitals during the negotiations.
Fox News Digital’s Robert McGreevy and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
