US President Donald Trump's special envoys – Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff officially left Kiev on the night of September 7, 2026, departing on a special train of “Ukrzaliznytsia“. Their visit to Ukraine marked a new stage in Washington's diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, after the day before the two held three-hour closed-door talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to information from Ukrainian and international media, including the publication Ukrainska Pravda (pravda.com.ua), US President Donald Trump plans to hold urgent telephone conversations with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky immediately after listening to the detailed report of his envoys. Sources of The Kyiv Independent (kyivindependent.com) add that these key consultations could take place as early as today.
Witkoff in Kiev: Without negotiations with Russia there is no chance for peace
During the press conference in Kiev, Steve Witkoff made a categorical statement, quoted by the RBC-Ukraine agency (rbc.ua). He stressed that in order to achieve a lasting agreement, it is critically important to maintain relations and channels of communication with both warring parties. “If you don't have a dialogue with both sides, the chances of a peaceful settlement are extremely small“, Witkoff said.
The American delegation arrived in Ukraine with “new ideas“ for de-escalation, discussed in advance in Moscow. The main focus of the negotiations was on restoring the trilateral negotiating format (USA-Ukraine-Russia), which was tried out six months ago.
Kushner's promises and preparations for winter
Special Ambassador Jared Kushner gave an official promise that the US will continue to work tirelessly through diplomatic channels to create a framework for long-term peace. However, he admitted to journalists that a quick ceasefire before the onset of winter is not guaranteed, the NV (nv.ua) news portal reports.
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that three rounds of “substantive negotiations“ were held on September 6. The national security advisers of Great Britain, France and Germany (the “Euro Troika“) also participated in the last session. Discussions have covered the urgent need for anti-ballistic missile defense for Ukraine (Patriot systems), the restoration of energy infrastructure, and the future parameters of a possible peace agreement.
Despite diplomatic progress and a temporary 72-hour ceasefire in strikes on the capitals Moscow and Kiev, agreed for the visit, fighting in other parts of Ukraine and the Russian border regions remains intense. The White House is expected to formally announce the next steps on the peace plan in the coming weeks.