US envoys Witkoff, Kushner arrive in Kiyv after Putin talks
The two US offcials are meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, with national security advisors the UK, France, and Germany reportedly also in Ukraine for talks.
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner embarked on their inaugural official journey to Ukraine on Sunday, as part of renewed efforts towards peace negotiations with Russia. The duo traversed to Kyiv via train from Poland, following a more than three-hour discourse with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow the day prior. Putin had brokered a three-day ceasefire to guarantee the envoys' security.
Prior to the visit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed on social media Ukraine's readiness for "constructive" dialogues with its U.S. counterparts. He emphasized the importance of ending the war, achieving peace, and securing essential guarantees. Ukraine has prepared proposals for a just and sustainable postwar peace.
U.K., France, and Germany's national security advisors accompanied the U.S. envoys in Kyiv, as per a Reuters news report. Though President Donald Trump's momentum to end the four-and-a-half-year conflict has waned in recent months, talks with Putin at the Kremlin in January yielded no results.
Despite Saturday's hopes for a breakthrough with the Russian leader, no announcements were made post-meeting. Putin's foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, described the Moscow talks as constructive, frank, and useful but refrained from discussing specific outcomes. He highlighted that the discussions also encompassed economic matters and potential large-scale Russia-US projects.
Ukraine's chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, conveyed to the New York Times that the end of the fighting was not expected before spring 2027. He also predicted continued Russian strategic air strikes on Ukraine during winter. The war has intensified in recent months, with Putin pursuing the complete annexation of Donbas and Russian drones targeting Ukraine's capital. Meanwhile, Ukraine has focused its drone attacks on Russia's energy sector, aiming to bring the conflict to the public's attention.
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