US Envoys Witkoff, Kushner Meet Zelensky in Kyiv After Putin Talks in Moscow

US President Donald Trump's top envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, have met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv as Washington steps up diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war.

The meeting marks the envoys' first visit to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion. Zelensky welcomed the two American representatives at St Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, near the headquarters of Ukraine's security services, which was struck by a Russian drone on Friday.

The Kyiv meeting comes just a day after Witkoff and Kushner held lengthy discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Zelensky says Ukraine is ready for talks

Ahead of the meeting, Zelensky said Ukraine was prepared for a serious discussion on bringing the conflict closer to an end. However, he stressed that any peace arrangement would need to include security guarantees for Ukraine and provide what he described as a dignified post-war settlement.

"We are interested in bringing the end of the war closer. Peace is needed. Security guarantees are needed," Zelensky said in a social media post, adding that Ukraine's proposals were ready.

The Ukrainian president also said Kyiv would continue to approach negotiations constructively.

Witkoff and Kushner travelled by train

The US envoys flew to Poland before continuing their journey to Kyiv by train. Zelensky said their aircraft could not land in Ukraine despite preparations for their arrival.

Their trip follows an agreement by Putin and Zelensky to temporarily halt attacks on each other's capitals for three days while diplomatic efforts involving the US representatives continue.

Three-hour Putin meeting in Moscow

Witkoff and Kushner met Putin at the Russian president's official residence in Moscow on Saturday. The closed-door discussions lasted around three hours.

Russian presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov described the talks as "constructive" and "extremely frank", while the Kremlin said the discussions covered the war in Ukraine as well as potential economic cooperation between Russia and the United States.

Ushakov said the meeting also addressed what Moscow considers the "root causes" of the conflict and referred to Russian military advances on the battlefield.

However, Russia's territorial gains have largely been slow despite heavy fighting and substantial casualties. Moscow currently controls roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, much of it seized during the initial phase of the 2022 invasion.

Russia and Ukraine continue exchanging strikes

Despite the diplomatic activity, fighting and long-range attacks continued overnight.

Ukraine said its forces targeted the Ryazan oil refinery, an airfield in Rostov-on-Don and two Russian air-defence systems. Kyiv said the refinery supplies fuel to the Russian military.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russia launched 108 long-range drones and several cruise missiles against Ukrainian targets.

Ukrainian air defences claimed to have intercepted 82 drones and six missiles, although 11 locations were reportedly hit and falling debris affected seven additional areas.

Peace efforts face major challenges

The US diplomatic push comes as Russia and Ukraine have intensified their aerial campaigns in recent months.

Ukraine has repeatedly highlighted shortages of interceptor missiles, particularly when defending against Russian ballistic missile attacks. Kyiv has increasingly targeted Russian economic infrastructure, including oil facilities, in an effort to disrupt Moscow's war effort.

The meetings in Moscow and Kyiv therefore represent an important diplomatic opening, but major disagreements over security guarantees, territory and the terms of a potential post-war settlement remain unresolved.