Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Kyiv on Sunday for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, one day after spending more than three hours with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
The visit to Kyiv is the first for both men since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now in its fifth year, according to ABC News. The pair have visited Russia several times during the conflict.
Witkoff and Kushner traveled into Ukraine by train from Poland. Zelenskyy met them outside the historic Saint Sophia Cathedral in the center of the capital, embracing both men before leading them inside.
Before their arrival, Zelenskyy wrote on X that he had met with Ukraine's negotiating team and was ready for talks. "Ukraine has always been and will remain constructive. We are interested in bringing the end of the war closer. Peace is needed. Security guarantees are needed. A dignified character of the postwar peace is needed. Our proposals are ready," he wrote.
A White House official told ABC News that Saturday's meeting in Moscow involved "substantive plans for next steps" toward a peace deal. Both the White House and the Kremlin described the discussions as substantive.
Putin gave no public sign of compromise after the meeting. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told the state-run Tass News Agency that Putin told the envoys it was necessary to eliminate "all root causes of the Ukrainian conflict," a phrase Russian officials routinely use to signal maximalist demands, including that Ukraine accept neutrality, reduce its military and abandon NATO ambitions.
Ushakov also said Putin "noted the successes of Russian forces" and "expressed confidence in achieving its goals."
Most analysts believe Putin's position has hardened in recent weeks. Russia has significantly intensified air attacks on Kyiv over the last two weeks, using jet-powered drones in repeated strikes on the capital.
At the opening of Saturday's Kremlin meeting, Witkoff thanked Putin for hosting the American delegation.
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