US Envoys Witkoff and Kushner Arrive in Kyiv for First Official Visit

US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Kyiv on Sunday for their first official visit to Ukraine, marking a renewed push by Washington to broker an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. The visit came a day after the envoys held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

The American officials travelled to the Ukrainian capital by train, as the country's airspace remains closed due to the conflict. They were received by senior Ukrainian officials before meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky. In a video posted on social media, Zelensky confirmed that talks had begun and reiterated Kyiv's demand for lasting security guarantees.

"We are interested in bringing the end of the war closer. Peace is needed. Security guarantees are needed. A just and sustainable postwar peace is needed," Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine's proposals were prepared. Senior Ukrainian security officials and negotiators, along with several European national security advisers, were present during the discussions.

The Kyiv talks followed a meeting in Moscow on Saturday, where the envoys and Putin discussed possible pathways toward a settlement. A White House official said the discussions were aimed at advancing President Donald Trump's peace agenda, with "substantive plans for next steps" expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov described the meeting as "extremely frank" and noted that the US envoys had presented several ideas for potential routes toward a resolution.

However, Moscow maintained its military objectives in Ukraine. Ushakov said Russia remained confident in its ability to capture the remaining parts of eastern Ukraine, an area where it already occupies large territories.

This visit is notable as Witkoff and Kushner have travelled to Moscow eight times but had never previously held talks in Kyiv. The diplomatic push comes as Washington's efforts to end the war have lost momentum, with the administration having focused on the conflict with Iran in recent months. Trump said on Friday that his envoys were carrying a "proposal" to end the fighting, without providing details.

As part of the diplomatic mission, Russia and Ukraine agreed to temporarily halt military strikes around their respective capitals for three days. Despite this limited understanding, fighting continued elsewhere. Ukraine's air force reported a Russian overnight attack involving 108 drones and missiles, while Moscow said it had shot down 258 Ukrainian drones. Ukrainian officials reported that Russian strikes killed 10 people across the country on Saturday, including a child in the Kharkiv region.

The war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions. Previous negotiation rounds have failed to produce a lasting settlement, with both sides remaining far apart on territory, security guarantees, and the future status of occupied areas. This visit represents a renewed attempt by the Trump administration to bring both sides back to the negotiating table.