Witkoff and Kushner's Kyiv visit: hope for renewed talks, but no breakthrough yet
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner made their first visit to Kyiv on September 6, discussing conditions for ending the war with Zelensky. Analysts and Western media note the visit could give talks a push, but a real breakthrough remains unlikely for now.
On September 6, US presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Kyiv for the first time, meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukraine's negotiating team to discuss conditions for ending the war. The talks unfolded over three rounds, after which Zelensky held a separate one-on-one conversation with the Americans. In the third round, representatives of the UK, France and Germany joined the group — seen in Kyiv as a significant signal that Washington now recognizes European leaders as participants in the process, not just observers.
After the meetings, Zelensky said Trump's envoys had proposed several new ideas for the peace process, without specifying their content. Kushner called for returning to a trilateral negotiation format, and Ukraine confirmed its readiness — leaving the next move to Russia.
Before Kyiv, Witkoff and Kushner had also visited Moscow — the sixth such trip for Witkoff and the second for Kushner. The White House described the talks with Russian officials as "substantive" but offered no specifics. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said he did not rule out reviving a trilateral talks format.
Skepticism over real change
Vladyslav Faraponov, head of the Institute of Americanistics, believes Putin's position is unlikely to shift because of the visit, describing the Moscow meeting as resembling a conversation between old acquaintances rather than a negotiation. He argues meaningful change would require a visit by Marco Rubio or Trump himself. He also noted Trump is currently focused on November's midterm elections, with his approval rating at a record low of 33% among registered voters.
Western outlets highlighted that Russia largely held off striking Kyiv during the visit, a fact Zelensky joked about. Still, publications including The New York Times and Reuters stressed that no breakthrough occurred, and Ukrainians are bracing for a harsh winter with intensified Russian strikes. The Guardian noted Ukraine's critical shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles.
Chinese media covered the visit cautiously, referring to the war as a "conflict with Russia" and focusing on Ukraine's winter needs — air defense reinforcement and energy assistance. Some Chinese experts linked the visit to concerns that the conflict could escalate further while US attention remains fixed on the Middle East.
After the meetings, Zelensky said discussions also covered a winter aid package, air defense support and energy assistance, expressing hope the envoys' visit was not in vain.
