President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner arrived in Kyiv on Sunday for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, following a meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The White House and the Kremlin described Saturday’s meeting as “substantive,” with U.S. officials stating discussions centered on “substantive plans for next steps” toward a peace deal, despite limited visible progress. Zelenskyy stated Ukraine is prepared to discuss proposals for ending the five-year conflict, emphasizing the need for security guarantees and a dignified postwar peace.
During the three-hour meeting in the Kremlin, Putin reiterated Russia’s demand to eliminate “all root causes of the Ukrainian conflict,” a phrase indicating maximalist demands including Ukrainian neutrality, demilitarization, and abandonment of NATO aspirations, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov. Putin also expressed confidence in achieving Russia’s war goals and highlighted recent military successes, as Russia has intensified air attacks on Kyiv.
Russian analysts interpret the U.S. delegation’s visit as a signal aimed at both domestic American politics and alliance management, with some suggesting the trip is intended to project momentum where real progress is unlikely. One analyst, Roman Romanov, suggested the U.S. is attempting to “synchronize watches” with both Moscow and Kyiv to gauge acceptable conditions for renewed negotiations, while also demonstrating diplomatic activity amid challenges with the Iran campaign. Another interpretation views the visit as primarily for information gathering and assessing Moscow’s position, which is seen as strengthened by recent battlefield gains. The visit marks the first time Witkoff and Kushner have traveled to Ukraine during the full-scale invasion, though they have visited Russia several times during the conflict.
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