Zelensky calls Trump envoys Witkoff, Kushner to 'lock in' dates for Ukraine visit

On August 31, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, regarding an upcoming visit to Ukraine. Despite leading efforts to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the two U.S. officials had not yet visited Kyiv. Zelensky described their conversation as "detailed and constructive" and announced that talks were ongoing between the U.S. and Ukraine's negotiating teams about setting dates for the visit.

Such a trip could be valuable for finding peace solutions, Zelensky stated, noting the discussion also covered the current battlefield situation. It was initially expected that Witkoff and Kushner would visit Ukraine earlier this month, but the trip was delayed as Trump wished to keep the diplomats nearby due to the ongoing dispute with Iran.

The announcement comes after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov in the United States to discuss Trump's 28-point peace plan. The original plan, proposed last November, was highly critical of Ukraine and called for significant concessions, leading to widespread rejection from the Kremlin.

Following revisions, the plan was reduced to 20 points, but Russia still declined to accept any changes, causing negotiations to reach an impasse. It is unclear which specific version of the peace plan Bessent presented during his meeting with Siluanov, and Ukraine remains uninformed about the details of the conversation.