US envoys meet Zelensky in Kyiv for peace talks
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held talks in Kyiv with President Zelensky after meeting Putin in Moscow, as part of a renewed push to end the war.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have held talks in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, their first visit to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion began. The meeting came a day after the two envoys sat down with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, part of a renewed diplomatic push by the Trump administration to end the war.
The envoys arrived in the Ukrainian capital by train, with flying considered too dangerous because of Russian drone strikes. They were greeted by Zelensky at the Saint Sophia Cathedral, a symbol of Ukraine's ancient heritage, just yards from where a Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine's security services on Friday. The talks lasted several hours and were later joined by European national security advisers, including Britain's Jonathan Powell.
Both sides described the discussions as substantive and meaningful. Witkoff said the ingredients for progress were there, but that both sides would need to make compromises. Zelensky reiterated Ukraine's red lines, including strong security guarantees and a strong army, and repeated his calls for more air defences and energy support ahead of winter. He said he expected the war to continue into the winter months.
The Moscow leg of the trip saw the envoys meet Putin for more than three hours. The Kremlin described the talks as frank and constructive, but gave no indication of a breakthrough. Putin insisted that the root causes of the conflict must be addressed, shorthand for Ukraine giving up territory and self-determination. Russian state media reported that Putin had not budged on his key demands.
To allow the envoys to travel safely, both Russia and Ukraine agreed to a three-day pause in strikes on each other's capitals. The pause held during the visits, but attacks continued elsewhere, including a strike on an apartment block in western Ukraine that injured seven people.
The visit marks the first time Witkoff and Kushner have set foot in Ukraine since the war began. They have travelled to Moscow many times, but never to Kyiv. The trip comes after months of stalled diplomacy and as President Trump seeks a foreign policy win ahead of the midterm elections. Earlier in the week, CIA Director John Ratcliffe also made a rare visit to Moscow, adding to the sense of renewed engagement.
Despite the flurry of diplomatic activity, analysts remain sceptical. The two sides remain far apart on the key issue of territory, with Russia still demanding all of the Donbas region and Ukraine refusing to surrender land it has defended at great cost. Former US ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor said there was no indication Putin was willing to make concessions, and that the chances of a deal were very low.
Zelensky, for his part, thanked the US for its support and said the visit was important. But he also noted that the war was likely to continue, and that Ukraine would need sustained help to survive the winter. The envoys left Kyiv without announcing any concrete agreement, but said they would continue to work on next steps.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC News | BBC NEWS Signed: BBC News at Six | BBC News at Six | BBC ONE West News and Weather | BBC One | BBC Two | Channel 4 | GB News | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIA Director John Ratcliffe was in Moscow on his first known official visit. | · | · | ||||||||
| US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. | · | · | · | |||||||
| President Trump's efforts to broker an end to Russia's war in Ukraine have stalled. | · | · | · | · | ||||||
| Putin ordered a three-day halt to attacks on Ukraine. | · | · | · | · | · | |||||
| Russia and Ukraine agreed to pause attacks on each other's capitals during the talks. | · | · | · | · | · | |||||
| Trump confirmed that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Moscow on Saturday and Kyiv on Sunday for talks on ending the war. | · | · | · | · | · | |||||
| US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met President Zelensky in Kyiv. | · | · | · | · | · | |||||
| The last known CIA director visit to Moscow was by Bill Burns in 2021. | · | · | · | · | · | · | ||||
| Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov described the talks as frank, constructive and substantive. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |||
| Putin was reported to still demand the entire Donbas region in any peace deal. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |||
| Ratcliffe has previously been involved in discussions about US-Russia detainee exchanges. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| The visit came as the Trump administration was trying to negotiate on Russia and Ukraine. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC News focused on the diplomatic developments as a news story, with correspondents in Moscow and Kyiv providing analysis. It highlighted the mystery around the CIA director's visit and then the envoys' trip, emphasising the lack of a breakthrough and the tough positions of both sides.
- “The Kremlin says Russia's President Vladimir Putin has ordered a three-day halt to attacks on Ukraine.”
- “President Trump's envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, have arrived in Russia.”
BBC One West covered the story as part of its regional news bulletins, often leading with the envoys' movements and the Kremlin's response. It included reports from Steve Rosenberg in Moscow and James Landale in Kyiv, focusing on the symbolism of the first visit and the lack of concrete progress.
- “President Trump's peace envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, have finished a meeting with the Russian leader Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.”
- “This is the first time Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have set foot on Ukrainian soil since Russia's full-scale invasion.”
BBC Two's Newsnight provided in-depth analysis, bringing in experts to speculate on the CIA director's visit and the envoys' trip. It focused on the strategic implications, including the risk of Russian escalation and the possibility of a message being delivered to the Kremlin.
- “Why has the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency the CIA traveled to Moscow for talks that were Unannounced are still unconfirmed and are on an unknown subject”
- “I think this may well be to do with escalation management Concern about some intelligence that indicates some sort of Russian activity”
ITV News focused on the diplomatic theatre, describing the envoys' arrival as a 'peace train' and highlighting the warm reception from Zelensky. It also noted the lack of concrete details and the ongoing attacks, while emphasising the significance of the first visit to Kyiv.
- “A mystery swirled around the Kremlin today thanks to the arrival for talks of a very important American visitor.”
- “US peace negotiators described discussions with President Zelensky aimed at ending Russia's war with Ukraine today as meaningful and substantive.”
GB News took a more opinionated and UK-focused angle, linking the US envoys' visit to domestic political debates about support for Ukraine. It questioned the wisdom of sharing missile blueprints and suggested the CIA visit might be a media distraction, with a sceptical tone towards the diplomatic process.
- “So the head of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, is it John? Yes, it is John Ratcliffe. It was confirmed this morning, actually, has visited Moscow for the first time a CIA chief has visited Moscow since before the invasion of Ukraine.”
- “You should never really pay attention to the stuff that you can see. It's the stuff you can't see.”
Sky News provided extensive coverage with multiple segments, including analysis from military experts and correspondents. It emphasised the difficulty of achieving a breakthrough, the territorial chasm between the sides, and the political pressures on Trump, while also noting the significance of the first visit to Kyiv.
- “After months of inactivity on the diplomatic front suddenly there is movement with Donald Trump's US peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner back in Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin.”
- “I am skeptical it'll lead to any kind of substantive progress towards a peace deal”
Channel 4 News took a critical and analytical approach, questioning whether the talks could produce a real deal. It highlighted the envoys' lack of prior visits to Ukraine, the 'gushing' over Putin, and the absence of concrete proposals, while also noting the ongoing escalation and the political motivations behind the trip.
- “Trump's envoys in Kiev for the first time ever after gushing over Putin in Moscow to try and end Russia's invasion of Ukraine.”
- “US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have spent the day in Kiev with Ukrainian President Zelensky to discuss proposals to end the Russian invasion.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.