Witkoff announced that significant progress had been made following his visit to Moscow and Kyiv

On 5 September, US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held talks in Moscow, and the following day they travelled to Kyiv, where they met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

As Witkoff wrote on social media platform X, the trip resulted in “the next round of trilateral talks involving the US, Ukraine and Russia”.

“Significant progress was made, in particular regarding the agreement on a timetable for further trilateral talks. President Trump is making every effort to stop the killings and achieve a lasting and robust peace,” Witkoff stated.

However, the US side has not disclosed either a specific date for the new round or any details of possible agreements.

What is known about the talks in Moscow

The meeting between Witkoff and Kushner with Putin in the Kremlin on 5 September lasted more than three hours. Following the meeting, the Russian side described the talks as useful and constructive, but did not announce any specific agreements on ending the war. According to Reuters, the talks in Moscow did not result in a breakthrough in the settlement of the conflict. At the same time, US representatives stated that they had discussed with Putin the next steps towards ending the war. Russia, however, continues to insist on its own conditions for ending the war, in particular the resolution of the so-called ‘root causes of the conflict’. Moscow also shows no willingness to abandon its territorial claims.

After Moscow — Kyiv

On 6 September, Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Kyiv, where, for the first time in their current capacities, they held official talks with Zelenskyy. The US representatives described the meetings as ‘substantive’ and stated that they saw scope for the diplomatic process to continue. At the same time, the Associated Press notes that no breakthrough was achieved following the talks. One of the topics discussed was Ukraine’s preparations for winter. Kyiv also discussed issues of air defence, military and energy support with the US representatives. Following the meetings, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine viewed the prospects for further talks positively, but at the same time suggested that the war could continue into the winter.