Fresh US proposals billed as “more effective” have been delivered to Ukraine as Washington presses anew for a path to end the war with Russia, a senior Ukrainian presidential official said.
The new push comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned yesterday that the conflict is likely to grind on into the winter.
Although Mr Zelensky and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner offered upbeat readouts after their meetings, none of the participants announced a breakthrough that would halt the fighting.
Still, the senior Ukrainian official said the latest set of ideas marks a shift in tone and substance. “It’s not the same as it was before. This one now is more effective. They’re still talking. This is actually the most important part,” the official said.
Mr Witkoff, described as US President Donald Trump’s business ally, and Mr Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, arrived in Kyiv a day after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, the latest stop in a series of visits to the region.
Ukraine’s rail operator signalled their departure from Kyiv early yesterday with a Telegram post, including a photo of the two envoys standing beneath a station sign announcing the ‘Peace Express’.
Ukrainian officials wait under a railway sign reading ‘Peace Express’ to greet US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner
Yesterday’s trip marked their first visit to the Ukrainian capital, which has been enduring deadly Russian strikes for more than four years.
Mr Zelensky said, “We very much hope that we will be able to reach agreements with our American partners, and we are counting on the support of our European partners if the war continues in winter – and this is how it appears at the moment.”
He also said Ukraine would hold talks with the US, France and Germany, without giving further details, and reiterated his view that only a meeting between the two leaders could resolve territorial questions.
After thanking the US envoys for travelling to Kyiv, Mr Zelensky wrote on X: “The main thing is to achieve peace for Ukraine – a dignified, reliable, and lasting peace. We are directing all our efforts toward this.”
‘On same side’
Russia controls large swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, and the Kremlin told the Americans on Saturday it felt “confident” it would make further advances.
Moscow has insisted it wants not only the territories it occupies but also the land it claims as Russian to be recognised as its own—conditions Ukraine has rejected as unacceptable.
Mr Witkoff said any deal would require compromises by both sides, adding: “We think we have the ingredients to get to that place.”
“We’ve had a very meaningful discussion, substantive, important, and we are very encouraged and we look forward to continuing this as long as it takes,” he said.
Ukrainian officials and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held talks in Kyiv
Mr Kushner said: “Hopefully this trip has come out with some new ways to advance forward. I think we’ve learned a lot from the trip.”
The two envoys travelled in hopes of reinvigorating the Trump administration’s effort to secure peace in Europe’s worst conflict since World War II, following a summer marked by escalation.
British, French and German representatives took part in a separate round of the discussions.
Mr Zelensky said he welcomed the European presence, adding: “Here we are all on the same side.”
As with other visiting delegations, the Americans arrived by train, with ‘Peace Express’ written on the platform at Kyiv Central Station.
Ukrainian airspace has been closed since Russia launched its invasion in 2022.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Russia and Ukraine vowed not to hit each other’s capitals during the US envoys’ trip, but strikes have continued.
The Russian military hit a vessel in the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk yesterday evening, which it said had military cargo onboard, Interfax, citing the Russian defence ministry, reported today.
At the port of Izmail, the Russian military hit loading facilities this morning, Interfax added, also citing the defence ministry.
‘Substantive plans’
Russia’s invasion has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.
A White House official said in a statement that in Russia that the envoys had “discussed substantive plans which will be announced in the coming weeks”.
The Kremlin, also without providing details, said the Americans had “put forward a number of ideas on possible routes to a settlement”.
Mr Putin has repeatedly said Russia intends to seize the rest of eastern Ukraine, and Russia increased deadly strikes this summer.
Since Mr Putin launched the invasion in February 2022, the war has dragged on with no end in sight.
In Ukraine, few people appeared to believe a dramatic shift was imminent.
Nataliia Lipekh, 67, said it was “absolutely necessary (for them) to be here” and to see that “our land is already soaked with this blood and that we need some help”.
