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US ENVOYS STEVE Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Kyiv for their first visit to Ukraine for talks on how to end the war with Russia, a day after meeting Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Kyiv by train ahead of their talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The White House said the pair met with Putin on Saturday to “advance President Trump’s agenda of peace in the Russia-Ukraine War,” a White House official said.
“The two sides discussed substantive plans for next steps, which will be announced in the coming weeks, and look forward to equally productive meetings tomorrow in Ukraine.”
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov called the talks “extremely frank”, saying the Americans “put forward a number of ideas on possible routes to a settlement”, but did not elaborate.
The Russian side told the Americans that Moscow was “confident” it could achieve its military goals of seizing the rest of eastern Ukraine, Ushakov added.
US President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arriving in Kyiv. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Both Russia and Ukraine have vowed not to strike each other’s capitals for three days to allow for the negotiations to take place.
It was Kushner and Witkoff’s eighth visit to Moscow during the war.
Ukrainian airspace has been closed since Moscow launched the war in February 2022 and visiting leaders have been arriving by train.
Putin thanks Trump
In televised comments before the talks, Putin said Russia would ensure the safety of the envoys in Kyiv – a city Moscow has pounded with deadly strikes throughout the war.
“We will do everything that depends on us to ensure the safety of the negotiation process and mediators such as yourselves,” Putin told Witkoff and Kushner.
Earlier Saturday, Putin had thanked Trump for persisting in his efforts to end the war despite it being “not simple”.
Of the envoys’ trip to Kyiv, he said: “No matter what happens next, contacts of this kind are undoubtedly always beneficial.”
Trump said on Friday his envoys were bringing a “proposal” to end fighting.
“We have an idea for peace,” he said, without elaborating.
Vladimir Putin listens during talks with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Senate Palace of the Kremlin in Moscow. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
US efforts have so far not led to a breakthrough in the war, and peace efforts have stalled in part because of Washington’s war with Iran.
Russia occupied large swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, and Putin has insisted Moscow is intent on seizing the rest of eastern Ukraine.
Limited truce
Both Moscow and Kyiv committed to suspending strikes as the negotiations took place.
“The Russian president, the commander-in-chief, has given the order from midnight not to strike Kyiv for three days,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Zelenskyy said he had spoken to the US envoys and also promised Kyiv would not strike Moscow.
“From now through the end of Saturday, as well as on Sunday and Monday, Ukraine is ready to refrain from strikes on Moscow,” Zelenskyy said.
On Saturday, Putin said he had “noted that the Ukrainian side significantly reduced” its strikes on Russia and Moscow.
However, Kyiv said that Russian strikes had killed 10 people across the country Saturday – including a child and his family members in the Kharkiv region and two people outside Kyiv.
Zelenskyy accused Moscow of trying to disrupt the visit of the US envoys with overnight attacks on Kyiv’s two airports, as well as on civilian targets.