Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he expects the war with Russia to extend into the winter, following talks in Kiev with the two chief envoys of US President Donald Trump, which ended without announcing a major breakthrough in efforts to end the war.
The talks continued for several hours behind closed doors, in the first visit of Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Ukraine since the start of the large-scale Russian invasion. Zelensky told reporters that the two sides agreed to hold a meeting soon that includes officials from Ukraine, Europe and the United States to continue discussions.
Witkov said that he emerged "encouraged" from the talks, describing them as "fundamental" and important, while Zelensky stressed that he wants a just peace that does not give Russia the opportunity to launch a new aggression.
The Ukrainian president said that if the war continues into the winter, “which is what the situation appears to be at the present time,” his country will need support in the fields of air defense and energy.
For his part, Kushner said that Trump is “very determined to see an end to this war,” thanking Britain, Germany and France for their efforts on the peace path.
Ukraine relies on American-made Patriot missiles to intercept Russian ballistic missiles, while the United States used large quantities of its stock during its war with Iran, making it reluctant to give up more of them.
Over previous winters, Russia has focused its attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, raising concerns about the country's ability to protect its vital facilities as winter approaches.
On Saturday, Witkov and Kushner held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow regarding ways to end the war, which the Kremlin described as “frank” and “constructive.”
Witkov said that the two envoys met with Putin first because they "needed to know his position," adding that the American team "made significant progress in Moscow."
When Kushner was asked about those talks, he said that the American team reviewed “a lot of ideas that have not worked so far,” and tried to think of the elements needed to achieve “a lasting peace.”
He added: “It was a very good conversation. Putin asked a lot of questions, and we asked a lot of questions as well.”
Witkoff said that the American negotiators will continue their work "no matter what it takes," expressing his confidence that a "good solution" can be reached.
Zelensky had received Witkov and Kushner at St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, near the site where a Russian drone hit the headquarters of the Ukrainian Security Service, on Friday.
The two envoys arrived in Kyiv by train after traveling by air to Poland. Zelensky said that landing their plane in Ukraine was not possible, despite preparations for that.
Moscow and Kiev had announced a cessation of strikes on the capitals of the two countries for three days during the envoys' tour.
While they were in Moscow, Zelensky said his team was ready for a "substantive conversation."
He wrote on social media: “We are concerned with bringing the war to an end. Peace is required, and security guarantees are required,” adding that peace after war must be “characterized by dignity,” and that his country’s proposals are ready.
“Frank” conversations without declared penetration
Putin's talks with Witkov and Kushner in the Kremlin lasted three hours and ten minutes, and focused on efforts to end the war, along with other files in relations between Moscow and Washington.
Yuri Ushakov, Assistant to the Russian President, described the meeting as “fruitful, constructive and frank to the maximum extent,” and said that its atmosphere was characterized by trust.
He added that the discussion was not limited to settling the war in Ukraine, but also discussed in detail economic issues and potential major Russian-American projects that achieve mutual benefit.
Ushakov said that the two American envoys expressed a desire to stop hostilities as soon as possible, and presented “a set of ideas” regarding possible ways to reach a settlement.
On the other hand, the Russian side presented a detailed assessment of the situation on the ground, and pointed to what it described as the “tangible progress” of its forces, stressing the need to address what Moscow calls “the root causes of the conflict.”
At the beginning of the meeting, Putin praised Trump's efforts to reach a settlement, saying that contacts with the United States are "always fruitful." Witkoff conveyed to him the greetings of the US President and thanked him for the measures taken to ensure the safety of the delegation.
But the statements that followed the meeting did not include an announcement of an agreement or breakthrough on the main outstanding issues between Moscow and Kiev.
Ushakov said that direct contacts between Putin and Trump will continue, in addition to continuing work through Witkov and Kushner.
An exchange of blows despite diplomatic moves
The envoys' tour was accompanied by a limited understanding that Moscow and Kiev would avoid air strikes for three days, without reaching a broader ceasefire along the battle lines.
Putin ordered Russian forces to refrain from targeting Kiev for three days, starting at midnight on Saturday, while Zelensky announced Ukraine's readiness to stop strikes on Moscow until the end of Monday, demanding the same from Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the decision to suspend the strikes on Kiev was taken within the framework of “preparing for the contacts that the Americans will conduct” in the Ukrainian capital.
Zelensky had pledged to ensure the safety of Russian airspace during the presence of Witkov and Kushner in Moscow, and called on Russia to provide a similar guarantee during their visit to Kiev.
But Moscow did not announce its approval of the Ukrainian proposal for a three-day truce along the front line.
During the night, Russian and Ukrainian forces continued to exchange blows, in light of ongoing diplomatic moves to end the war.
The Ukrainian Air Force said that Russia attacked the country with 108 long-range drones and cruise missiles, explaining that the air defenses shot down 82 drones and six missiles.
It added that the strikes hit 11 sites, while projectile debris fell in seven other sites.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said that it carried out a "mass strike" using high-precision weapons and long-range attack drones, targeting metal factories in the Dnipropetrovsk region that it said supplied facilities for Ukrainian military industries, as well as logistics centers and power stations in the city of Mykolaiv and the Mykolaiv and Odessa regions.
Zelensky accused Russia of carrying out "show" strikes on the Kiev and Boryspil airports prior to the American delegation's visit, considering that they came in response to discussions about the possibility of the envoys arriving by air at one of the two airports.
On the other hand, Ukraine announced the targeting of an oil refinery, an airport, and two air defense systems inside Russia. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said that its forces struck the Ryazan refinery, which it says supplies the Russian army with fuel, as well as an airport in the city of Rostov-on-Don.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said that its air defenses intercepted and destroyed 53 Ukrainian drones over the Moscow region, Krasnodar Territory, and other regions.
Fundamental differences hinder settlement
The special envoy in the Russian Foreign Ministry, Rodion Miroshnik, also accused Zelensky and his European allies of trying to obstruct the dialogue between Moscow and Washington, while Russian Channel One said that the proposals brought by the two American envoys are “not new.”
Their tour comes more than a week after a rare visit by CIA Director John Ratcliffe to Moscow. Neither Washington nor the Russian presidency revealed the content of his talks, while Trump described the meeting as “almost routine.”
During the past eighteen months, Ukrainian delegations participated in negotiating rounds hosted by the United States, but American efforts have not yet succeeded in reaching an agreement between Moscow and Kiev. Meetings held by Ukraine's European allies in Paris also ended without achieving a breakthrough.
The issues of territory, security guarantees, and the future of Ukraine's relationship with NATO remain at the heart of disagreements between the two sides.
Although Russia intensified its attacks on Ukrainian cities, its ground forces achieved only limited progress during most of the war, in exchange for heavy human and material losses. Moscow still controls about a fifth of Ukraine's territory, including territories it occupied before the comprehensive invasion in February 2022 and others it seized after it.
