Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that U.S. representatives, including Jared Kushner and Avi Vitkoff, reached Kyiv via train after Russian forces obstructed their flight arrival. Zelensky expressed gratitude to former President Donald Trump for facilitating their visit, emphasizing the importance of their presence for security discussions.
“Unfortunately, Russian actions demonstrated that they cannot allow the use of the aircraft, even though everything was prepared. Our airports are operational,” Zelensky stated during a briefing.
The U.S. envoys’ visit is significant as Zelensky hinted at upcoming negotiations, which will include two sessions: one directly between Ukraine and the U.S., and another with European partners. Additionally, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Kyrylo Budanov, noted the presence of European representatives from France, the UK, and Germany, reportedly national security advisors from these nations.
Zelensky also shared a video of his meeting with Kushner and Vitkoff, marking the commencement of discussions aimed at peace initiatives.
Context
- On September 4, Trump announced that his representatives would travel to Moscow and Kyiv in an effort to negotiate a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
- Vitkoff and Kushner have previously visited Moscow multiple times but had never been to Kyiv, making their September 6 visit significant as their first.
- During their meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the two U.S. representatives presented a range of considerations for potential resolutions, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov.
- Reuters noted that the representatives’ visit to the Kremlin did not yield a breakthrough.
