Kushner, Witkoff set for Kyiv talks after Putin meeting in US push for peace

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Kyiv on Sunday for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy , a day after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as part of efforts to end the war between the two countries.

Zelenskyy said Sunday morning that he had met with his negotiating team ahead of the Americans' arrival and that Kyiv was prepared for the discussions.

"Ukraine has always been and will remain constructive," Zelenskyy wrote on X.

"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 added.

"It is important to work in a coordinated, substantive, and realistic manner." CIA DIRECTOR JOHN RATCLIFFE MET WITH RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS IN VISIT TO MOSCOW, KREMLIN SAYS Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin for more than three hours behind closed doors Saturday, though the talks ended without any announced breakthroughs.

Putin’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov described the meeting as "constructive, frank and useful," but did not disclose specific outcomes.

A White House official said following the meeting that the two sides discussed "substantive plans for next steps," which are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

The official added that the U.S. delegation looked forward to "equally productive meetings" in Ukraine.

The Kyiv meeting comes as Washington seeks to revive efforts to reach a settlement in a war that began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Those efforts had lost momentum over the past six months as U.S. attention shifted to the war with Iran.

PUTIN AND IRAN 'NEED EACH OTHER DESPERATELY,' EXPERT SAYS, AS RUSSIA VOICES SUPPORT FOR REGIME Significant differences between Moscow and Kyiv remain, including over territory.