Kushner and Witkoff visit Kyiv in push to end Russia-Ukraine war

US peace negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Sunday to continue efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war. The two Trump administration officials traveled from Moscow, where they held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, but did not report any breakthrough.

Previous US-mediated peace talks, encouraged by Trump, have not yielded significant results. Earlier this week, Kushner suggested the US had a new proposal, though details were not disclosed.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov described the Saturday meeting as "highly useful," and a White House official stated that next steps would be announced in the coming weeks. Zelenskyy, who believes the US will play a crucial role in any peace deal, expressed optimism about the upcoming negotiations. The US envoys met with Zelenskyy and other top Ukrainian officials in central Kyiv, where Zelenskyy stated that security guarantees and a postwar peace plan were necessary. British, French, and German national security advisers were also in Kyiv for the talks.

Residents of Kyiv, who have endured heavy bombardment in recent weeks, expressed hope for a resolution to the conflict. Previous talks have seen significant differences between Ukraine and Russia, particularly regarding the future of the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas. Russia insists on Ukraine's withdrawal from the contested territory, while Ukraine refuses, fearing a repeat invasion. For Ukraine, receiving security guarantees from its European allies and the US is essential to deter future aggression.

The conflict has intensified in recent weeks, with both Russian and Ukrainian forces conducting long-range air strikes, including attacks on Kyiv's SBU security service headquarters. Russia has paused strikes on Kyiv until Monday, while Zelenskyy has called for a halt in strikes on Moscow. Despite the cessation of fighting along the 1,200km front, ongoing bombardment of Ukrainian cities persists, with Ukraine retaliating against Russian infrastructure to increase the cost of the war for Moscow.