Security guarantees and 'a dignified character of post-war peace' are needed, says Zelenskyy as US envoys Witkoff and Kushner arrive in Kyiv
US envoys Witkoff and Kushner have arrived in Kyiv for peace talks.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are hoping for "equally productive meetings" in Ukraine following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow about ending the war, according to US officials.
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The two US envoys have now arrived in Kyiv, having "discussed substantive plans for next steps" with Putin in their meeting on Saturday.
It is the first trip by US President Donald Trump's top negotiators to Ukraine's capital.
The contents of their plan are not yet clear, but an announcement is expected in the coming weeks, as efforts to end the war in Ukraine gain momentum.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X ahead of the talks that "peace" and "security guarantees" are needed.
He said: "We are ready for the conversation. 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. It is important to work in a coordinated, substantive, and realistic manner. Glory to Ukraine!"
A meeting with our negotiating team ahead of the meeting with the U.S. President’s envoys. We are ready for the conversation. 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… pic.twitter.com/WIqQKZfLAs
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 6, 2026
Witkoff and Kushner were negotiating at the Kremlin for around three hours behind closed doors, according to Russian state media.
Whilst the discussions were taking place in the Russian capital, Zelenskyy said he was also ready for "a substantive conversation".
Although details are still emerging, both sides have given broadly positive comments.
Putin adviser Yuri Ushakov described the talks as "constructive, extremely frank" and there was acknowledgment that talks needed to address "the root causes of the conflict".
"The talks were not limited to an exchange of views on resolving the Ukrainian crisis - economic issues and potential major, mutually beneficial Russian-American projects were discussed in considerable detail," he added.
He said the US envoys would take Putin's sentiments to their talks in Kyiv, and the two sides agreed that Putin and Trump would stay in touch.
This is not the first time Kushner and Witkoff have visited Russia.
The discussions come as the war enters its fourth year.
Despite an escalation of Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukraine, Russian ground forces have made slow advances for most of the conflict and have taken on enormous casualties.
Ukraine says it is struggling to repel ballistic missile attacks following a lack of interceptor missiles, with Kyiv focusing its strikes on Russian economic infrastructure targets.
Russia still controls about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.