US ENVOYS VISIT KYIV AFTER MOSCOW TALKS ON UKRAINE WAR
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Sunday following meetings with Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday. The envoys described their discussions with Zelenskyy as "encouraging" but said they had made no breakthrough towards ending the war. A senior Ukrainian presidential official told Agence France-Presse that the proposals brought by the envoys were "more effective" than previous iterations, and that continued dialogue represented "the most important part" of negotiations. Witkoff said both sides would need to compromise, stating: "We think we have the ingredients to get to that place."
Zelenskyy said the talks covered Ukraine's air defence needs, including Patriot systems, and a "winter package" of support for air defence and energy infrastructure ahead of colder months. He stated Kyiv was seeking "serious volumes" of American support, with backing from European partners. Zelenskyy said he expected the war to continue into winter and accused Russia of intensifying strikes on Ukrainian cities ahead of Russia's State Duma election later this month, characterising the attacks as deliberate terror against civilians. British, French and German national security advisers joined the final hour of talks. A White House official said the envoys had "discussed substantive plans which will be announced in the coming weeks". Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov described talks in Moscow as "substantive, constructive and extremely frank" but gave no indication of breakthrough.
The envoys' departure from Kyiv was announced early on Monday by Ukraine's rail operator. Zelenskyy said the sides agreed to hold a follow-up meeting involving Ukraine, the US and Europe, with a location still to be set. Witkoff said they looked forward to continuing discussions "as long as it takes". Kushner stated the trip had provided "new ways to advance forward" and that they had "learned a lot". Zelenskyy previously stated a window of opportunity for peace exists before the US presidential election in 2028.