WASHINGTON: US special envoy Steve Witkoff said Monday that “substantive progress” had been made in weekend talks with Russian and Ukrainian leaders in Moscow and Kyiv, including movement towards scheduling fresh three-way negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
“Substantive progress was made, including movement on scheduling additional trilateral talks,” Witkoff wrote on X.
Witkoff travelled to Russia and Ukraine over the weekend alongside negotiating partner Jared Kushner. Sunday’s appearance in Kyiv was their first to the Ukrainian capital.
At President Trump’s direction, United States negotiators visited both Moscow and Kyiv in order to facilitate additional dialogue to end the Russia-Ukraine War. Ahead of the trip, the Russians and Ukrainians agreed to a three-day no-shoot policy to enable these discussions to… pic.twitter.com/7oj7C2Qp2p
— Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (@SEPeaceMissions) September 7, 2026
US-led diplomatic efforts to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II have stalled in recent months, as Washington has shifted focus towards the war with Iran.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators last met for US-mediated talks in February, in Geneva, but failed to reach an agreement on the thorny issue of territory. Talks have not resumed since.
The Kremlin said Monday that Russia does not rule out fresh, three-way talks with Washington and Kyiv on the Ukraine war.
Russia “does not rule out the resumption of the trilateral format, but it is too early to say anything about the venue or the exact dates at this stage,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Witkoff and Kushner met with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky over the weekend in a renewed push to end the fighting.
A senior Ukrainian presidential source told AFP that the pair had brought “more effective” proposals on ending the war, although neither Moscow and Kyiv announced a breakthrough.
Russia, Ukraine Must Make ‘Compromises’
On Sunday, US envoy Steve Witkoff said that both Russia and Ukraine would need to make “compromises” to end the more than four-year war.
Witkoff said this after holding talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv a day after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
“It’s going to take both sides to make some compromises and narrow the issues between them,” Witkoff said after the talks, adding that the United States believed it had “the ingredients” to move towards a settlement.
“It is very difficult, but we are committed, we care and we hope all of that leads to a successful peaceful diplomatic resolution,” he said.
Zelensky calls for leaders’ talks
Zelensky said territorial issues could only be resolved “at the level of leaders”, reiterating his call for direct talks with Putin.
“I want to stick to my view that such complex issues can only be resolved at the level of leaders,” he said.
The Ukrainian leader said there had been a “positive assessment” of Sunday’s discussions but warned that the war appeared likely to continue into the winter.
Also Read: Russia Says Three-Way Talks with Ukraine, US Could Resume
“We very much hope that we will be able to reach agreements with our American partners,” Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine was also counting on the support of its European partners.
“If the war continues in winter, and this is how it appears at the moment, even so, the teams today have a positive assessment of our future prospects,” he said.
Ahead of the talks, Zelensky said Ukraine was ready for a substantive discussion aimed at bringing the end of the war closer.
He said Kyiv wanted peace but required security guarantees and what he described as a dignified post-war settlement.
“Ukraine has always been and will remain constructive,” Zelensky said in a social media post. “We are interested in bringing the end of the war closer. Peace is needed. Security guarantees are needed.”
US envoys express optimism
Witkoff said the US delegation was encouraged by the substantive and important meeting with Zelensky.
Kushner said Trump had instructed the US team to find a way to end the war and create the conditions for a long-term and durable peace.
He told Zelensky that Trump was “very determined to see an end of this war” and thanked Britain, Germany and France for their efforts to support peace negotiations.
Witkoff said the US negotiators would continue their efforts for “as long as it takes”.
Zelensky received Witkoff and Kushner at Kyiv’s Saint Sophia Cathedral, near the headquarters of Ukraine’s security services, which was hit by a Russian drone on Friday.
The envoys travelled to Kyiv by train after flying to Poland. Ukraine’s airspace has remained closed since the war started in 2022.
Zelensky said it had not been possible for the delegation’s aircraft to land in Ukraine despite preparations.
‘Constructive’ talks with Putin
The Kyiv meeting followed Saturday’s talks between Witkoff, Kushner and Putin at the Russian President’s official residence in central Moscow.
The three-hour meeting was held behind closed doors, according to Russian state media.
Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov described the discussions as “constructive” and “extremely frank”.
He said the talks went beyond efforts to resolve what Moscow calls the Ukrainian crisis and also covered economic issues and potential major Russian-American projects.
Ushakov said the discussions also noted what he described as tangible advances by Russian forces and the need to address the “root causes” of the conflict.
Putin and Zelensky agreed to halt strikes on each other’s capitals for three days while the US envoys carried out their visits.
