Witkoff says 'substantive progress' made toward Russia-Ukraine peace

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said on Monday that "substantive progress" has been made in recent diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, citing movement toward additional trilateral talks between Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv following high-level meetings in both capitals over the weekend. Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday as part of the administration's push to halt the fighting.

Kyiv Meetings and Ceasefire

They then traveled to Kyiv and met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday — their first visit to Ukraine since the conflict began in February 2022. The delegation's arrival followed an agreement by Moscow and Kyiv to observe a three-day halt in attacks to facilitate the discussions, according to statements from the US team.

In Kyiv, US officials were joined by national security advisers from Britain, Germany, and France, underscoring European coordination in the peace push. The presence of the European advisers highlighted the multilateral nature of the diplomatic effort as Washington seeks to revive trilateral talks between the three capitals.

Progress Toward Peace

In remarks outlining the delegation's meetings, Witkoff stated that "substantive progress was made, including movement on scheduling additional trilateral talks." Posting on social media platform X, he said President Donald Trump is "working hard to stop the killing" and pursue a durable peace.

"We think we made a lot of progress in Moscow. We heard new ideas," he added, referring to Saturday's discussions with Russian leadership. The diplomatic initiative comes as the conflict enters its fifth year, with both sides having agreed to the temporary ceasefire last week to facilitate the first visit by US envoys to Ukraine since hostilities began.