US Envoys Head to Kyiv for Talks After Lengthy Moscow Meeting
US envoys Witkoff and Kushner visit Kyiv for talks after a three-hour Moscow meeting with Putin, aiming to revive peace efforts.
Two senior American emissaries are scheduled to arrive in Kyiv on Sunday, marking their first visit to the Ukrainian capital as part of a renewed diplomatic push to end Russia's full-scale invasion.
The trip follows a closed-door meeting in Moscow on Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin that lasted over three hours. The envoys — Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who is also President Donald Trump's son-in-law — are seeking to inject fresh momentum into stalled peace negotiations.
The diplomatic effort comes as both sides escalate aerial attacks. Russia has increasingly deployed fast, jet-powered drones, and air-raid sirens have become a routine part of life in Kyiv. Ground forces have struggled to make significant progress along the roughly 1,250-kilometre front line.
Ahead of the talks, Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to pause strikes on each other's capitals during the discussions.
Washington's push to end the conflict had lost momentum in recent months as US attention shifted to the war involving Iran. The envoys' last known visit to Moscow was in January, when they also held talks with Putin at the Kremlin.
Saturday's meeting ended without any announced breakthroughs. Putin's foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, described the discussions as constructive, frank, and useful, but declined to specify outcomes. He said Moscow offered a comprehensive assessment of the battlefield situation, while noting the conversation extended beyond the invasion.
"Economic issues and potentially large, mutually beneficial joint projects for Russia and America were discussed in considerable detail," Ushakov said.