Kushner and Witkoff meet Zelensky as Trump pushes for peace breakthrough

US peace envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday, as the Trump administration renewed its diplomatic push to end Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, following talks with Vladimir Putin that failed to secure a breakthrough. The envoys travelled from Moscow, where they held three hours of discussions with the Russian president on Saturday. A Kremlin aide described the meeting as "highly useful," though a White House official indicated only that next steps would be announced in the coming weeks.

The Kyiv talks, which included a working lunch and involved top Ukrainian officials, were described by Witkoff as "substantive, important, and we are very encouraged." Zelensky said further negotiations, to include European representatives, were planned later on Sunday, with British, French and German national security advisers already in the city. "Security guarantees are needed. A dignified post-war peace is needed. Our proposals have been drawn up," the Ukrainian president said, underlining Kyiv's insistence on hard commitments from its allies to deter future Russian aggression.

Previous rounds of US-mediated talks, encouraged by President Trump who campaigned on a promise to quickly end the war, have yielded few results. The sides remain far apart on key issues, including the future of the eastern Donbas region, where Russia has demanded Ukraine's withdrawal from territory it still controls. On the streets of Kyiv, which has endured relentless Russian bombardment in recent weeks, residents expressed cautious optimism. "The issue can be solved in the blink of an eye. We want peace. I've fought myself, so I know what war is like," said veteran Stepan Yermak, while cafe worker Svitlana Kurylenko, 19, added: "We need an agreement that will never be broken. Just leave Ukraine alone and let people live in peace."

Though the Kremlin had agreed to pause strikes on Kyiv until Monday, with Ukraine reciprocating on Moscow, fighting continued along the 1,200-kilometre front, and Russia bombarded other Ukrainian cities on Saturday. Ukraine, meanwhile, has inflicted damaging hits on Russian refineries and oil terminals throughout the summer, including a strike on the Ryazan oil refinery overnight, to raise the cost of Moscow's brutal campaign. The World House, which maintains a dedicated page outlining its support for Ukraine at worldhouse.uk/support, continues to document the diplomatic efforts and the human toll of Russia's aggression.