Kyiv talks: Witkoff and Kushner acknowledge war likely to continue through winter
In Sunday talks in Kyiv, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Ukrainian officials agreed the war is unlikely to end before winter, shifting focus to how Ukraine can be supported through another cold season.
During talks held in Kyiv on Sunday involving US President Donald Trump's special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, both sides broadly agreed that Russia's war against Ukraine will likely not end before winter. The information was reported by Financial Times chief Ukraine correspondent Christopher Miller on the platform X, citing sources familiar with the discussions.
Given this outlook, participants discussed how to help Ukraine endure what could be another difficult winter, as Russia has intensified strikes on critical infrastructure. At the same time, representatives of the Trump administration told Zelensky and his team that they believe some progress could still be achieved before the onset of winter.
Updated documents
The American envoys brought updated versions of previously drafted documents, revised to reflect how circumstances have changed since peace negotiations stalled in February. Sources noted, however, that the documents contain few genuinely new proposals — the US delegation mainly sought to revive earlier initiatives and narrow the gap between Kyiv and Moscow's positions.
One of the toughest remaining issues is the part of Donbas that Russian forces have never fully managed to capture throughout the war. Zelensky has repeatedly stated that Ukraine will never cede this or any other territory currently under Russian occupation, and the territorial question remains the central obstacle to any agreement.
Visit follows Moscow talks
The Kyiv meeting took place just one day after Witkoff and Kushner held more than three hours of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The Kyiv talks themselves lasted over four hours and, besides reviving the peace process, also covered Ukraine's security guarantees. Representatives from Britain, France and Germany later joined the discussions.
After the first round of talks, Kushner told reporters that Trump's goal is not merely to stop the fighting but to create conditions for a durable, long-term peace in Ukraine. Zelensky, for his part, said each such meeting brings Ukraine closer to the just peace it is seeking.
