Kushner and Witkoff Make First Kyiv Visit as U.S. Pushes Peace Deal

U.S. President Donald Trump's peace envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, arrived in Kyiv on Sunday for their first meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy since taking on their negotiating roles. The visit followed three hours of talks the pair held with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow a day earlier, which did not appear to produce a breakthrough.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov called Saturday's meeting "highly useful," while a White House official told Reuters that further steps would be announced in the coming weeks. Trump had said Friday that a fresh U.S. proposal existed, without offering details.

In Kyiv, the envoys met Zelenskiy and senior Ukrainian officials. Following roughly three hours of talks that included a working lunch, Witkoff described the discussions to reporters as "substantive, important," adding that the U.S. side felt encouraged. Zelenskiy said additional talks involving European representatives were planned for later Sunday, with national security advisers from Britain, France and Germany already present in the city. He said Ukraine needed security guarantees and a dignified post-war settlement, noting that Kyiv's own proposals were ready.

Cautious hope in Kyiv

Residents of Kyiv, which has endured heavy bombardment in recent weeks, expressed measured optimism about the prospect of peace. Previous negotiating rounds have left the sides far apart on core issues, particularly the fate of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, where Russia is demanding a Ukrainian withdrawal from towns it still controls — a demand Kyiv has rejected.

Brief pause in strikes

While the ground front has remained largely static, both militaries have escalated long-range aerial attacks in recent weeks. Russia has struck Kyiv with missiles and drones nightly for two weeks, including a Friday strike on the security service's headquarters. The Kremlin said it would halt strikes on Kyiv until Monday, and Zelenskiy said Ukraine would likewise pause attacks on Moscow. Fighting continued elsewhere along the 1,200-kilometer front, however, with Russia bombarding other Ukrainian cities on Saturday. Ukraine reported striking the Ryazan oil refinery, roughly 480 kilometers inside Russia, overnight, sparking a fire, as part of its summer campaign against Russian energy infrastructure and logistics.