Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj began his talks with US mediators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Kiev. Selenskyj announced this on the X portal. A short video showed him greeting US negotiators in the square in front of the medieval St. Sophia Cathedral.
It is the first visit to Kiev on their mediation mission for special envoy Witkoff and Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law. The day before, they had spoken to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow to explore options for ending the war that has been going on for four and a half years. Witkoff has visited Russia several times since Trump returned to the White House in 2025.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has further toughened his tone towards Germany. The accusations made against Moscow that Russia was responsible for the drone attack at Leipzig airport are "largely the beginning of a real war," Lavrov said on Sunday, according to the state news agency Tass. "All of Merz's statements about making Germany the leading military power in Europe again - they are now being put into action. He is effectively declaring war on us."
On September 1st, following investigations, the German government blamed Russia for the attempted drone attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport on August 4th. At that time, among other things, a drone filled with explosives was found next to a Ukrainian cargo plane. The federal government then ordered, among other things, the closure of the last remaining Russian consulate general in Germany and a Russian cultural center in Berlin.
Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasized on Saturday with regard to Russian responsibility: “The assignment is very clear, indisputable and also legally binding.” The federal government took four weeks to examine it. The Russian government, however, rejected the German accusations as baseless and accused Berlin of falsifying evidence.
According to information from Kiev, the national security advisors of Great Britain, France and Germany (E3 format) are also in the Ukrainian capital. The reason was the talks between the Ukrainian leadership and the US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, it was said.
US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in the Ukrainian capital Kiev. The two want to consult with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. On Saturday they spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The aim of the consultations is to end the war.
They were greeted at the city's train station by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, a video from the Unian news agency showed. The day before, Witkoff and Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, held talks in Moscow about a possible end to Russia's war of aggression, which has been going on for more than four and a half years. There they spoke with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin for almost three hours.
A meeting with Zelensky was planned in Kyiv. "We are ready for the conversation. Ukraine has been and will always be constructive," the president wrote on social networks. “We are interested in bringing an end to the war closer.” Ukraine needs security guarantees and a dignified post-war order. Overall, however, expectations in Kiev and Moscow of the USA's new mediation efforts are low.
During a US mediation mission, Russia and Ukraine, as agreed, spared the capitals Kiev and Moscow from attacks, but attacked from the air in other places. In Ukraine, the city of Zaporizhzhia, which is close to the front, was shelled and, according to Governor Ivan Fedorov, there were victims.
According to local authorities, Russian drones hit a border crossing on Ukraine's border with Romania. This had to be closed temporarily. On Saturday evening, a Russian drone killed three members of a family in the city of Chuhuiv, Kharkiv region.
In Russia, a Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire at the Ryazan refinery, southeast of Moscow, Telegram channels unofficially reported. Regional Governor Pavel Malkov confirmed the attack and a fire at an unspecified industrial plant. Drone attacks were also reported in the Rostov region in southern Russia.
After meeting with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow, US mediators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travel to Kiev for the first time for talks about a possible end to the war in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyj wants to receive US President Donald Trump's envoys in the Ukrainian capital today. The visit will take place under the protection of a local, three-day ceasefire declared by Zelensky and Putin. Moscow has pledged to refrain from air strikes against the city of Kiev for the safety of US envoys.
The new talks on the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine between Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin and US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, which were scheduled at short notice, have come to an end in Moscow. After around three hours of discussions, US President Donald Trump's two envoys left the Kremlin that night, as state media reported and also published a video of the motorcade.
Nothing is yet known about the results of the discussions. However, high-ranking Russian government official Kirill Dmitriyev described the trip on Platform X as an “important peace visit”. Dmitriev, who attended the meeting, published this statement along with photos of him saying goodbye to Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at a Moscow airport.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that Ukraine will not attack Moscow from the air in the coming days as long as Russia does not attack the Ukrainian capital during this time.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a halt to attacks on the Ukrainian capital Kiev for three days. Putin gave the “order not to attack Kiev for three days from midnight today,” the Russian state news agency Tass quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying on Saturday.
