United States envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff arrived in Kiev this Sunday (6) for their first visit to the Ukrainian capital, a day after meeting with Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin to discuss the end of more than four years of war between the neighboring countries.
Witkoff, Donald Trump's partner, and Kushner, the president's son-in-law, had already visited Moscow several times, but had not yet held talks in the Ukrainian capital, the target of Russian attacks since the beginning of the invasion in 2022.
The two arrived in Kiev by train and were scheduled to meet with President Volodimir Zelenski. The expectation is to resume negotiations to end the worst conflict in Europe since the Second World War, after a period of intensified fighting.
Moscow's invasion of Ukraine killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.
Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin on Saturday to "advance President Trump's peace agenda for the war between Russia and Ukraine," according to a White House statement.
"The two parties discussed concrete plans for the next steps, which will be announced in the coming weeks, and look forward to equally productive meetings tomorrow in Ukraine," the Trump administration's statement said.
The Kremlin's diplomatic advisor, Yuri Ushakov, classified the talks as "extremely frank" and stated that the Americans "presented a series of ideas about possible paths to an agreement", without detailing the proposals.
Ushakov also said the Russians said they were "confident" they could achieve their military objectives and take the rest of eastern Ukraine.
Russia and Ukraine promised not to attack each other's capitals for three days to allow negotiations to take place.
This was Kushner and Witkoff's eighth visit to Moscow during the war and their first to Kyiv. The Russian agency TASS reported in the morning that the two had arrived in Rzeszów, Poland, from where they headed to the Ukrainian capital.
Zelensky said on Sunday that Ukraine is "ready for dialogue".
"Ukraine has always been and will continue to be constructive," the president wrote on social media before the visit.
The country's airspace has been closed since Moscow started the war in February 2022, and visiting leaders have been arriving by train.
For many Ukrainians, however, hopes of a breakthrough remain slim.
"Right now it doesn't give me any hope. There have already been too many negotiations," Yaroslav, a 29-year-old Kiev resident, told AFP.
Putin thanks Trump
In televised remarks before the talks, Putin said Russia would guarantee the safety of envoys in Kiev, which has been the target of Russian attacks since the start of the war.
"We will do everything in our power to ensure the security of the negotiation process and of mediators like you," Putin told Witkoff and Kushner.
Earlier on Saturday, Putin had thanked Trump for persisting in his efforts to end the war despite the task "not being simple."
Regarding the envoys' trip to Kiev, he stated: "Regardless of what happens next, contacts of this kind are undoubtedly always beneficial."
Trump said on Friday that his envoys were carrying a "proposal" to end the fighting.
"We have an idea for peace," he said, without giving details.
So far, U.S. efforts have not produced a breakthrough in the war, and peace initiatives have stalled, in part, due to Washington's war with Iran.
