Kyiv. According to talks between US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow and Kiev, there has been no immediate progress in the struggle to end the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj spoke of “extremely contentful” talks, but made it clear that the bottom line was that there was little. After the talks concluded, he was not very optimistic: “If the war drags on until winter, and that is what it looks like at the moment, we need a “winter package”,” he was quoted as saying by the Ukrainian media.
Trump's envoys Witkoff and Kushner have visited Moscow several times since 2025, but have never been to Kiev before for their mediation efforts - for Ukraine, this is more evidence of the drastic change in course the USA has taken under Trump in dealing with the Russian war of aggression, which has been going on for more than four and a half years. Before Witkoff and Kushner arrived in the Ukrainian capital for the first time on Sunday, they sat with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin for almost three hours on Saturday evening.
Trump's son-in-law Kushner spoke out in favor of resuming trilateral talks between Ukraine and Russia under US mediation. “Hopefully we will see progress very soon,” he was quoted as saying by CNN, referring to the recent talks in Kiev and Moscow.
Zelensky jokingly said that the presence of Witkoff and Kushner “worked better than the Patriot anti-aircraft systems.” US President Donald Trump's two emissaries should come to Kiev more often to give residents a chance to breathe a little without the constant Russian attacks.
Kremlin chief Putin had announced a three-day break in attacks on Kiev for the duration of the US negotiators' visit, and Ukraine refrained from attacks against Moscow during this time. Ukraine complains about a shortage of Patriot missiles, the only means of defense against Russian missiles.
The security advisors to the heads of state and government from Germany, France and Great Britain also took part in the negotiations in Kiev. “We have agreed that Ukraine, Europe and America will meet shortly,” Zelensky said afterwards. He did not give a specific date. Finally, Zelensky reiterated the view that a meeting at the highest level is necessary to resolve the most important issues in the Ukraine conflict, such as territorial division. Putin has so far categorically rejected a direct meeting with Zelensky at a neutral location. Instead, he called on Zelensky to come to Moscow for talks. The Ukrainian head of state rejected this.
Witkoff and Kushner had caused Zelensky's displeasure by having so far left Kiev out of their mediation efforts. In April he criticized that it was disrespectful to travel to Moscow and not come to Kiev. Despite the visit, the most recent impressions from Moscow may not have been well received in Kiev. Putin said that Witkoff and Kushner now had the trust of the Russian side. “We are comfortable working with them,” said the president.
Putin gave his assessment of the situation, reported his foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov. “In particular, the real successes of the Russian army in advancing in the operational area were highlighted,” he said. However, experts give different assessments about the supposed and real progress of the warring parties in the frontline area. There are always doubts as to whether Putin is being truthfully informed about the situation by his general staff.
After the meeting in Moscow, the US negotiators flew back to EU territory and landed in Rzeszow in eastern Poland. From there, like other foreign politicians, they took the train to visit Kiev. Previously there had been considerations about traveling by plane. However, civilian air traffic over Ukraine has been at a standstill since the start of the war in 2022. Zelensky accused Russia of deliberately shelling Kiev's Zhuliany and Boryspil airports before the visit in order to deter US mediators.
During direct talks between Moscow and Kiev in the United Arab Emirates and in Geneva in February, Washington sat at the table as a mediator. Recently, the negotiations were on hold - also because the USA was distracted by its own war in Iran. Before Witkoff and Kushner's trip, Trump said: "We sent them there to see if we could achieve something." He was again optimistic that this could succeed. So far, the US's efforts have not yet produced a breakthrough - and the war is currently pointing towards escalation. There is hardly any movement on the front, but at the same time both sides have intensified their air and sea war.
