US Peace Envoys Hold Kyiv Summit With Zelenskyy
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held direct peace negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Sunday after meeting Vladimir Putin in Moscow. European security advisers joined the summit as Ukraine pressed for air defense systems and winter economic support.
Washington is forcing direct peace talks on Kyiv after securing a Kremlin hearing — but with Moscow demanding permanent eastern concessions, Ukraine faces intense pressure to accept a flawed ceasefire.
Background Negotiations to end Russia's four-year invasion of Ukraine remained stalled for months while both sides exchanged heavy drone and missile strikes. President Trump dispatched his special envoys on a bilateral mission to bypass frozen diplomatic channels and force direct negotiations.
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Witkoff and Kushner completed initial Kyiv talks at St. Sophia Cathedral on Sunday, expanding the agenda to include national security advisers from Britain, France, and Germany.
The envoys arrived in Kyiv by train after three hours of Kremlin negotiations with Vladimir Putin, who insisted Russia will achieve all military objectives in Ukraine.
Putin ordered a 72-hour pause in strikes on Kyiv while Zelenskyy matched the truce for Moscow, securing safe travel conditions for the high-level diplomatic mission.
Russian officials reaffirmed Putin's unshakeable stance that any final peace deal must grant Moscow permanent control over four eastern Ukrainian regions and block Ukraine from joining NATO.
Watch Sunday evening European session: if security advisers from Britain, France, and Germany endorse the US framework, Kyiv will face unified Allied pressure to formalize draft ceasefire terms.
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