On Sunday, the American envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, began talks in Kiev, where they arrived carrying - according to President Donald Trump - a proposal to put an end to the war with Russia that has been going on for more than 4 years, the day after they met with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
This is the first visit by Witkoff (a businessman close to Trump) and Jared Kushner (the son-in-law of the US President) to Ukraine, since the beginning of their mediation in this conflict. The two American envoys arrived on a train to Kiev Central Station, after their plane landed at dawn on Sunday in the Polish city of Jeszew near the Ukrainian border, according to the Flight Radar 24 website, which tracks air traffic. Then they began talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky, who announced this on his social media accounts. He posted a video clip showing him shaking hands with the two envoys, then visiting St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev with them.
The Ukrainian president told reporters before the arrival of the American envoys that a round of talks within the framework of this visit would include “European national security advisors.”
Zelensky had written in recent hours on social media: “Ukraine has always shown a constructive position and will continue to do so. We hope to quickly stop the war. Peace is necessary. It is necessary to provide security guarantees.” He added: “Our proposals are ready.” “It is important to work in a coordinated, in-depth and realistic manner.”
Since his return to the White House in early 2025, Trump has begun rounds of talks in search of a settlement that would end the most violent conflict in Europe since World War II, but these attempts have not yet achieved any tangible progress, especially with Washington’s focus shifting to the war with Iran. Negotiations falter mainly over the land issue. Moscow demands the complete withdrawal and surrender of Ukrainian forces from the Donetsk region (east), which Kiev rejects.
Yulia (41 years old), who comes from the occupied Ukrainian regions and is a cleaning worker in Kiev, said: “We hope that these negotiations will lead to some settlement. “As a Ukrainian, I would like this to be done while preserving our lands.” But she stressed that she does not place any hope on the Kremlin because of its “imperial” policy towards Ukraine, considering that the efforts “do not raise any hope at the present time, as many negotiations have already taken place before,” as quoted by Agence France-Presse.
“A number of ideas”
On Saturday evening, Putin held three-hour talks with Witkov and Kushner, which Kremlin advisor Yuri Ushakov described as “constructive, very frank and trustworthy.” Ushakov told reporters that the two American envoys “presented a number of ideas about possible ways to reach a settlement.” He stressed that the Russian side “expressed confidence in achieving the set goals,” without revealing them. On the other hand, a White House spokesman said that the two envoys discussed with Putin “fundamental plans related to the next steps that will be announced in the following weeks,” according to what Agence France-Presse reported.
Trump said that the negotiators will seek to study the possibility of making progress towards peace, without revealing whether the plan includes Kiev ceding areas to Russia, as he previously hinted at, saying only: “We have an idea for peace.”
Lavrov: Berlin wants war again
The tour of the American envoys comes amid tense relations between Russia and Germany, against the backdrop of Berlin's accusations that Moscow is responsible for a drone attack that targeted Leipzig Airport last month. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected Berlin's accusations that Moscow was responsible for the plane attack, saying that Germany "wants war again." Lavrov added during an interview, excerpts of which were published on Sunday by a Russian station: “They expelled the members of the Consulate General from Bonn. They are closing the Russian House (cultural center) in Berlin. I remember that these things happened before the outbreak of World War II. He continued, saying: “They want war again,” considering that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz “is moving towards declaring war against us.” “The lessons of history have not been learned,” recalling Germany’s Nazi history. The Russian minister also said: “This is a dangerous phenomenon.” Pointing out that “the Russian government will reach the appropriate conclusions” from this.
Moscow and Berlin took turns closing cultural centers after German accusations against Russia, while the European Union countries summoned their Russian envoys.
Suspension strikes
On the occasion of the visit of Witkov and Kushner to Moscow, Putin ordered the cessation of strikes on Kiev for three days, from Saturday to Monday, while Zelensky, for his part, announced the cessation of attacks on Moscow during the same period.
Meanwhile, strikes continue elsewhere in Ukraine and Russia. Moscow attacked Ukraine on the night of Saturday-Sunday with 108 drones and missiles, the Ukrainian Air Force confirmed that it intercepted most of them, while 11 sites were hit by the bombing. On the other hand, the Russian army announced that it shot down 258 Ukrainian drones launched into Russia last night. A fire broke out in a facility in the city of Ryazan, according to what the governor of the region announced, while the media outlet “Astral” confirmed that it was a refinery. At least three civilians were injured in Ukraine in strikes that occurred during the night and Sunday morning, according to local authorities, while a man was killed and a woman was injured in an attack with a Ukrainian drone that hit their car in the Russian Belgorod region, according to local authorities.
