The trip by President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kiev was met positively in both capitals.
Following their meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev on Sunday, one senior Ukrainian presidential official described the American proposal as “not the same as it was before. This one now is more effective.”
On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of talks with Kushner and Witkoff. Yuri Ushakov, an aide in the Kremlin, described the talks as “highly useful,” adding that the American side “outlined a number of ideas regarding possible avenues for a settlement.”
“The talks went beyond a mere exchange of views on resolving the Ukrainian crisis. Economic issues and potential major, mutually beneficial Russian-American projects were discussed in some detail.” He continued, “Overall, one can say that the negotiations were timely and highly useful for both sides.”
The American envoys also had a positive message following the trip. Trump’s son-in-law Kushner said, “Hopefully this trip has come out with some new ways to advance forward. I think we’ve learned a lot from the trip.
All the parties spoke in broad terms and did not discuss any details of what Kushner and Witkoff proposed.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the discussion could result in new trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US. “As for the resumption of the trilateral format, you heard the statement from Kyiv yesterday. Mr Kushner made such statements. We, too, do not rule out the resumption of this trilateral format, but it is still too early to speak of the venue and exact dates,” he explained.
Zelensky said the most important issue was finding a diplomatic solution; however, he also remained focused on securing additional weapons and military assistance. . “We had substantive discussions about our air defense needs, the relevant technological cooperation, and the winter package we need,” he posted on X Monday. “Our partners know what can bear fruit and what must bear fruit ahead of winter. We are coordinating our next steps.”
The renewed push from the White House to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine comes as the conflict is escalating. Kiev’s air defenses have been depleted, leaving Ukraine vulnerable to Russian ballistic missiles. Russia has intensified missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and ships in the Black Sea. On Sunday, Russia damaged a Ukrainian cargo vessel in the sea.
Ukraine has conducted long-range strikes inside Russian territory targeting energy infrastructure. On Sunday, Russian-installed authorities in Crimea said a girl was killed by a Ukrainian drone strike, and the Ryazan oil refinery was hit.
