US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's eldest son-in-law, arrive in Ukraine. [EPA]
US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's eldest son-in-law, arrive in Ukraine. [EPA]

US presidential envoys mediating peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to continue cease-fire talks.

Presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's eldest son-in-law, visited Kyiv on Sunday to discuss a potential end to the war with Zelensky, according to CNN and The Washington Post.

The American envoys had met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Saturday for more than three hours, including dinner.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov described the meeting as "substantive, constructive, extremely candid and trust-filled," adding that Putin had publicly praised the role of the US negotiating team, according to Russia's state-run TASS news agency.

The visit marks the first time the US envoys have traveled to the Ukrainian capital since the war began. While they have been brokering cease-fire discussions, their repeated trips to Moscow without visiting Ukraine had drawn criticism that they were neglecting Kyiv's position.

Zelensky said on social media that "Ukraine has always been constructive and will remain so," adding: "We need peace, we need security guarantees, we need a dignified character of the post-war peace. Our proposals are ready."

The two sides remain far apart. Russia has said it will not halt the war before seizing all of the eastern Donbas region, while Ukraine rejected demands to cede Donbas in negotiations earlier this year and has insisted on freezing the current front lines.

The envoys' visit came amid continued Russian missile and drone strikes. On Friday, Ukraine's Security Service headquarters took a direct hit.

Attacks continued overnight in regions outside the capital as well. Ukrainian forces struck the Ryazan oil refinery, one of Russia's largest petroleum facilities, according to Russian regional authorities. Ukraine's military said Russia had launched 108 drones.


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