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Envoys meet Zelensky
U.S. peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Kyiv on Sunday after meeting Vladimir Putin in Moscow, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared video footage showing himself greeting and hugging both men with the caption "Negotiations have begun."
“"We are very encouraged," he added.”
NBC News reported Witkoff said the talks were "substantive" and "important" and that he was "very encouraged," while Kushner said Trump was "very determined to see an end to this war."
Both Russia and Ukraine agreed to hold off on aerial attacks on each other’s capitals to enable the visits, with the BBC saying Putin and Zelensky agreed to halt strikes on each other’s capitals for three days while the negotiators carried out their trip.
The BBC reported Zelensky said he expects the war with Russia to continue into the winter, and it said the discussions finished without an announcement of a major breakthrough after the talks lasted several hours behind closed doors.
Reuters said the envoys met Zelenskiy and other top Ukrainian officials in central Kyiv, and it quoted Zelenskiy saying "Security guarantees are needed. A dignified post-war peace is needed. Our proposals have been drawn up."
Optimism meets uncertainty
The BBC framed the Kyiv round as a continuation of diplomacy without a breakthrough, saying Witkoff was "encouraged" by what he called "substantive" and important talks in Kyiv.
In Kyiv, Reuters reported military veteran Stepan Yermak said, "The issue can be solved in the blink of an eye. We want peace," while Svitlana Kurylenko, a 19-year-old cafe worker, said, "We need an agreement that will never be broken."
The Independent described Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s escalation in rhetoric, claiming accusations from Berlin that the Kremlin coordinated a recent drone attack at Germany's Leipzig airport represent "by and large the start of real war."
NBC News said Zelenskyy told reporters that Ukraine’s "proposals are ready" and that the next steps would be announced in the coming weeks, while the BBC said Zelensky stressed Ukraine would need air defence and energy support if the war continues into winter.
The Independent also reported Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the talks were "substantive, constructive and extremely frank," while giving no indication of any breakthrough.
Winter stakes and next steps
Reuters said the talks were aimed at ending Russia's four-and-a-half-year war, but it also reported that the Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov described Saturday's meeting as "highly useful" while a White House official told Reuters that next steps would be announced in the coming weeks.
“next steps would be announced in the coming weeks”
The BBC reported that after the talks, Zelensky said officials from Ukraine, Europe and America would meet in the near future to continue discussions, and it said Ukraine confirmed it struck an oil refinery, an airfield, and two air defence systems.
In the Independent, Ukrainian delegation protests over a UN world map resolution over Crimean border, with Ukrainian lawmaker Kira Rudik saying in a post on X following the vote, "Crimea is Ukraine. Shame," and the resolution passed with 164 votes.
The Independent also said Putin ordered Russian forces to halt strikes on Kyiv after receiving a request through diplomatic and intelligence channels, while Ukraine has said it will similarly refrain from striking Moscow through Monday.
NBC News added that the talks come ahead of what it called a difficult winter in Kyiv, which is facing a critical shortage of U.S.-made interceptor missiles able to repel Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure.