Witkoff and Kushner Hold First Ukraine Talks After Meeting Putin in Moscow/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held their first official talks in Kyiv after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Ukraine called for security guarantees and a sustainable peace, while discussions also focused on preparing the country for winter. No diplomatic breakthrough was announced, and Russian and Ukrainian attacks continued outside their temporary pause covering Kyiv and Moscow.
Quick Look
- Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Kyiv by train Sunday.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed them at St. Sophia Square.
- It was their first official Ukraine visit in the current peace process.
- Two rounds of U.S.-Ukrainian discussions were completed.
- A meeting involving French, German and British representatives was planned.
- Winter security and immediate assistance were major discussion topics.
- The preceding Kremlin meeting lasted more than three hours.
- Russia said economic cooperation with the United States was also discussed.
- No major agreement emerged from the Moscow talks.
- Fighting continued in other regions despite the limited capital-strike pause.
Deep Look
US envoys begin first official talks in Kyiv
KYIV, Ukraine — U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held talks in Kyiv on Sunday during their first official visit to Ukraine as part of Washington’s renewed effort to end the war triggered by Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion.
The visit followed more than three hours of closed-door discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Saturday. No major breakthrough emerged from the Moscow meeting.
Witkoff and Kushner arrived in the Ukrainian capital by train, where senior officials welcomed them before President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received them during a ceremony at St. Sophia Square.
Zelenskyy seeks security guarantees and lasting peace
Zelenskyy said Ukraine had prepared proposals and was ready for a “constructive” discussion with the American representatives.
A senior Ukrainian official said two rounds of talks had taken place by Sunday afternoon. A third meeting involving representatives from France, Germany and the United Kingdom was planned.
The winter focus comes as continued Russian attacks place additional strain on Ukraine’s infrastructure, transportation networks and air-defense capabilities.
Moscow meeting produces no announced breakthrough
The envoys traveled to Kyiv after meeting Putin for more than three hours at the Kremlin.
Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, described the discussions as constructive, candid and useful but disclosed no agreement or specific diplomatic progress.
Ushakov said Russian officials gave the American delegation their “comprehensive assessment” of battlefield conditions. He also revealed that the meeting covered possible economic cooperation extending beyond the war.
The talks therefore included bilateral economic matters as well as the Ukraine conflict, according to the Kremlin’s account.
Renewed diplomacy follows months of limited progress
Washington’s negotiating effort had lost momentum while the Trump administration devoted greater attention to the six-month conflict with Iran.
Witkoff and Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, last made a publicly known trip to Moscow in January. Until Sunday, neither had visited Kyiv officially as part of the current peace initiative.
The trip represents renewed direct engagement with both governments, but neither Washington, Moscow nor Kyiv announced a ceasefire framework or settlement following the meetings.
Capital-strike pause fails to stop wider fighting
The arrangement applied specifically to Kyiv and Moscow rather than the countries’ broader territory. It did not constitute a comprehensive ceasefire or stop military operations across the approximately 1,250-kilometer front.
Russian and Ukrainian forces continued exchanging attacks overnight into Sunday, according to officials from both countries.
Russian attacks kill and wound civilians in Ukraine
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said Russian attacks across several regions killed one person and wounded at least 10 others.
In Zaporizhzhia, drone strikes killed a 74-year-old man and injured three people, Ukrainian authorities said. A separate drone damaged an apartment building in the Khmelnytskyi region, leaving seven people wounded.
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 108 drones and six missiles overnight. It said Ukrainian forces intercepted 82 of the drones.
The battlefield figures were reported by Ukrainian authorities and were not independently verified.
Russia reports extensive Ukrainian drone operation
Russian officials said a Ukrainian drone struck a vehicle in the Belgorod border region, killing a man and seriously wounding a woman.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted 258 Ukrainian drones across 14 Russian regions, Russian-occupied Crimea and areas over the Black and Azov seas.
The ministry’s figures could not be independently confirmed.
The continuing attacks demonstrated the restricted scope of the temporary arrangement protecting the two capitals and the challenges facing the renewed diplomatic effort.
Ukrainians express hope and skepticism
In Kyiv, residents gathered Sunday for the country’s daily 9 a.m. moment of silence honoring Ukrainian service members killed in the war.
Nataliia Lipei, whose son Viktor was killed in December 2022,‘ expressed hope that the latest diplomatic meetings would achieve tangible progress.
Other Ukrainians questioned whether another round of diplomacy would change the course of the conflict.
Pope Leo calls for diplomacy
Pope Leo XIV renewed his appeal for an end to the violence during his Sunday address at the Vatican.
The Vatican’s published version similarly called for an end to violence and destruction while urging the parties to create space for dialogue.
The Moscow and Kyiv meetings restored direct diplomatic activity, but continued attacks and the absence of publicly announced agreements indicated that the peace initiative remained at an early and uncertain stage.
More on US News
-
Are you troubled by heartburn and sour belching after eating? These 3 daily habits can provide relief
-
Sanya Malhotra Wants To Treat Her Friends To Matcha Tiramisu, Shares Recipe
-
US Ambassador Gore met Karnataka CM Shivkumar, discussed initiatives like Pax Silica and Trust
-
Ishan Kishan played captaincy innings before Afghanistan series, scored a century in the final
-
Flood havoc in Bihar: 16.85 lakh people of 11 districts affected, relief and rescue operations ongoing.
