U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner left Kiev early on Sept. 7 without a breakthrough after talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, although both sides said negotiations on ending the war with Russia would continue.
The meeting on Sept. 6 marked the envoys’ first official visit to Ukraine and followed talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow a day earlier.
A senior Ukrainian presidential official told AFP that the U.S. delegation had brought proposals that were “more effective” than previous plans. No details were released.
Zelensky said the sides agreed to hold a follow-up meeting involving Ukraine, the United States and European partners, with the venue yet to be decided. Senior French, British and German officials joined part of the talks in Kiev.
The discussions covered security guarantees, reconstruction and support for Ukraine through the winter. Zelensky said Kiev was seeking additional air defenses, including Patriot systems, protection for energy infrastructure and substantial supplies of U.S. liquefied natural gas.
“We hope for the support of European partners if the war continues into the winter,” he said.
Witkoff said both Russia and Ukraine would have to compromise, adding that Washington believed it had “the ingredients” to move the process forward. Kushner said the visit had produced possible new ways to advance the talks.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov described the Moscow meeting as “highly useful,” while the White House said the two sides had discussed “substantive plans” that would be announced in the coming weeks. Neither Moscow nor Washington reported a breakthrough.
Fighting continued during the diplomatic effort. Zelensky accused Russia of intensifying attacks ahead of the Sept. 20 State Duma election and said Ukraine was working with 67 domestic companies to develop systems capable of intercepting jet-powered drones.
Ukraine said it struck the Ryazan oil refinery inside Russia on Sept. 6. Moscow, meanwhile, said a Ukrainian drone attack killed a girl and wounded three people in Russian-held Sevastopol. Russia also claimed that it struck a Ukrainian cargo vessel carrying Western military equipment.
