US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Kyiv for their first official visit to Ukraine, as Washington renews efforts to broker an end to Russia’s war against the country.
The two American representatives arrived by train in the Ukrainian capital on Sunday, where they were welcomed by senior Ukrainian officials before meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a ceremony in St. Sophia Square. The visit comes more than four and a half years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and as efforts to reach a peace agreement face renewed challenges.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine was prepared to engage in what he described as a constructive discussion with the US envoys, stressing Kyiv’s interest in ending the war while securing long-term guarantees for the country’s future.
“We are interested in bringing the end of the war closer. Peace is needed. Security guarantees are needed. A just and sustainable postwar peace is needed. Our proposals are prepared.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
The Ukrainian President’s comments set the tone for the talks, with Kyiv seeking an agreement that would not only bring an end to active fighting but also provide security guarantees intended to prevent a renewed Russian offensive. The arrival of Witkoff and Kushner also brought together representatives of some of Ukraine’s key European allies.
Kyrylo Budanov, Zelenskyy’s Chief of staff, said that representatives from France, Germany and the United Kingdom were also in Kyiv. Their presence underscores the importance of European involvement as Washington seeks to revive diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the conflict.
The US administration’s peace push has lost momentum in recent months, with the Trump administration having focused much of its attention over the past six months on the war involving Iran.The latest visit therefore represents an attempt to re-engage directly with both Kyiv and Moscow as the fighting continues and diplomatic efforts remain unresolved.
Russia and Ukraine have continued to exchange attacks despite the renewed diplomatic activity. Russian forces have increasingly deployed fast-flying, jet-powered drones, while air-raid sirens have become a regular feature of life in Kyiv.
Meanwhile, Russian and Ukrainian troops have struggled to make decisive progress along the approximately 1,250-kilometre front line..Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to pause strikes on each other’s capitals while talks were taking place.
However, officials from both countries reported overnight attacks into Sunday, highlighting the difficulty of maintaining even limited de-escalation while negotiations are under way.
US Envoys Meet Putin In Moscow
Witkoff and Kushner travelled to Kyiv shortly after holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday as Washington sought to gather positions from both sides of the conflict.
The meeting at the Kremlin lasted more than three hours and was held behind closed doors. No major breakthrough was announced following the discussions. Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, described the talks as constructive, frank and useful, but did not provide details of any specific agreement reached.
Ushakov said that Russia presented its “comprehensive assessment” of the battlefield situation in Ukraine, although he stressed that the meeting was not focused exclusively on the war. “Economic issues and potentially large, mutually beneficial joint projects for Russia and America were discussed in considerable detail,” he said.
Witkoff and Kushner, who is President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, previously travelled to Moscow in January for talks with Putin at the Kremlin. The latest diplomatic engagements are taking place against the backdrop of continued Russian and Ukrainian attacks.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said Russian attacks across several Ukrainian regions overnight into Sunday killed one person and injured at least 10 others. In Zaporizhzhia, a drone strike killed a 74-year-old man and injured three people, while another drone damaged an apartment building in the Khmelnytskyi region, injuring seven people.
Ukraine’s Air Force said that it intercepted 82 of 108 drones launched by Russia overnight, along with six missiles.Russia also reported attacks from Ukraine. Authorities in the Belgorod border region said a Ukrainian drone struck a vehicle, killing a man and seriously injuring a woman.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences had shot down 258 Ukrainian drones overnight across 14 Russian regions, the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula and the waters of the Black and Azov seas. Against this backdrop, the US envoys’ arrival in Kyiv places renewed diplomatic attention on the prospects for negotiations. Their discussions with Ukrainian officials are expected to focus on Kyiv’s conditions for peace and the security guarantees it says are necessary for any lasting settlement.
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