Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Donald Trump's envoys this Sunday with a joke about the pause in Russian attacks against kyiv. "Today you have worked even better than the Patriot systems for our citizens who are in the capital. Come more often and we will have the opportunity for our people to live a little," he said during the press conference held at the end of the talks. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner closed their first official visit to Ukraine with the expectation of resuming tripartite talks between the United States, Russia and Ukraine. The format may be announced "in the near future," according to Witkoff. There is still no date, venue or Russian confirmation. No agreement on territory or a general ceasefire was reported either.
By February, Witkoff and Russian and Ukrainian negotiators had narrowed the 20-point peace plan to two main disagreements. The first was the future of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The second, control of the areas of Donbas that remain in the hands of Ukraine. The war between the United States and Israel and Iran later diverted the attention of the White House and paralyzed this process.
Kushner explained that this time Trump has tasked them with preparing a new "peace package." "We believe that it would be productive to return to the tripartite format that we used about six months ago. We have spoken about it with both parties and we hope that we can return very soon. It is important to discuss not only the big issues, but also the de-escalation measures," he said. Witkoff, who once again put his hand on his heart when greeting Putin on Saturday, described the talks as "substantial and important" and assured that the American delegation was "very enthusiastic." "In Moscow we discussed many important and compelling ideas that we have brought here to kyiv," he said. Zelensky defined the visit as "important and productive" and confirmed that there were "several really new ideas" that should be analyzed.
The main difference remains Donbas: Moscow demands that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the entire Donetsk region, including cities that Russia has not conquered. But kyiv considers that this area forms an essential defensive belt and refuses to give away through diplomatic channels what the Russian army has not been able to occupy. "The question of Donbas is not merely the question of Donbas. It is the question of this war, a war of both survival and attrition. It is a territorial question that is Russia's objective," Zelensky said. According to the Ukrainian president, the resistance of his forces allows negotiations to be held "without ultimatums."
In kyiv, the Americans held three rounds of talks. First they met with Zelensky and the Ukrainian team. Then security advisors from the United Kingdom, France and Germany joined. They examined the possible political agreement and the economic and security guarantees that Ukraine would receive at the end of hostilities.
The other part of the day was dedicated to an invasion that no delegation considers over in the short term. "It seems that the war will continue through the winter," Zelensky acknowledged. kyiv and its partners studied a "winter package" with military, humanitarian and energy aid. Ukraine admits that it lacks funds to cover these needs and sustain its weapons production.
Air defense occupies a central place in Ukrainian concerns. Zelensky considers the ability to intercept ballistic missiles to be one of Ukraine's main weaknesses. Deliveries of Patriot projectiles have fallen as Russia prepares another campaign against the power grid. Zelensky stated that the United States will increase production of interceptors in 2027, although kyiv needs more ammunition before winter.
Kushner avoided guaranteeing that the war would end before then. "It is a very, very difficult problem, but we are going to try. If we could achieve it it would be incredible. That does not mean that we are going to achieve it, but it is a very important effort," he said. Washington believes there may still be progress before winter.
