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U.S. pushes to revive Ukraine–Russia talks after Witkoff and Kushner meet Zelensky in Kyiv

Source: Suspilne
  • Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine’s leadership held three rounds of talks in Kyiv with an official U.S. delegation led by Donald Trump’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The meetings focused on ending the war, support through the winter and security guarantees. Representatives from France, Britain and Germany joined the talks later.
  • The sides acknowledged that the war will most likely continue until winter. Zelensky said Ukraine hopes to reach an agreement with U.S. partners and receive support from European allies “if the war continues into the winter, which for now appears likely.” Trump’s envoys told Zelensky and his team that progress could still be made before winter, according to sources who spoke to the Financial Times.
  • The United States wants to resume trilateral talks with Russia and Ukraine, last held about six months ago. Witkoff said he hoped a trilateral meeting involving Ukraine, Russia, and the United States would be announced “in the near future.” “I think we made significant progress in Moscow. We heard new ideas,” he said. Kushner said Trump had tasked him and Witkoff with creating a “peace package” and was focused on “how to create a framework that will actually build a durable peace.”
  • Ukraine has strengthened its position on the battlefield, giving it greater confidence regardless of how future talks are structured, Zelensky said. He added that every effort should be made to ensure trilateral meetings take place. “We’ll see what Russia agrees to.”
  • Trump’s envoys brought “updated versions” of earlier documents to Kyiv, revised “to reflect the changed circumstances,” according to sources who spoke to the Financial Times. The sources said, however, that the envoys had brought few new ideas and that control of the Donbas remained the central issue. Zelensky also said it was one of the key issues in peace talks. “This is not just about the Donbas. I think it is about the war as a whole,” he said.
  • Witkoff called the trip wonderful and said the U.S. delegation was very satisfied with the results of the talks in Kyiv and Moscow. Zelensky said Witkoff and Kushner’s visit to Ukraine was “important and productive.” Today, you were even more effective than the Patriot air defense systems protecting our people here in the capital,” he said. “Come more often, and we’ll have a chance to live a little.”

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