Trump's envoys came to Kyiv with new peace proposals - FT
Photo: Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner during a meeting with Zelenskyy in Kyiv (Vlad Nesterov/RBC-Ukraine)
According to the outlet, several hours of talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not produce a breakthrough on ending the war.
After the meetings, Witkoff said he was pleased with the talks "in Moscow and now here," in Kyiv. Kushner also said the US side had put forward new ideas during the discussions but declined to disclose their content.
According to FT sources familiar with the negotiations, the US representatives brought updated versions of earlier documents to Kyiv aimed at securing peace.
The proposals were revised to reflect changing circumstances after peace talks stalled in February amid the outbreak of the US war with Iran.
However, according to the outlet's sources, there were few new ideas in the proposals. Instead, Witkoff and Kushner sought to revive previous efforts and narrow the differences between Kyiv and Moscow.
Donbas remains the key sticking point
One of the main issues discussed was the territory of Donbas that remains under Ukrainian control. Russia claims the region as its territory but has failed to fully capture it despite years of fighting.
Russia currently controls about 75% of the eastern region. For Zelenskyy, Donbas is a "red line." The president insists that Ukraine will not agree to surrender this territory or any other land currently controlled by Russian forces.
After the talks, Zelenskyy acknowledged that territorial issues were discussed. However, he stressed that such issues must be resolved "at the leaders' level."
War may not end by winter
According to FT sources, the sides broadly agreed during Sunday's talks that the war is unlikely to end before winter.
At the same time, US officials told Zelenskyy and his team that they believe progress in the negotiations can still be made before winter.
After the meeting, Kushner also said that the US hopes to revive trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States.
On September 6, the US delegation made its first visit to Kyiv, where it held several rounds of talks with President Zelenskyy. Representatives of the UK, France and Germany later joined the discussions.
Following the talks, Ukraine, the US and European countries agreed to continue dialogue aimed at achieving a just peace, while the format of the next round of consultations is still being worked out.
