Overview
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner presented a set of proposals described by Ukraine's president as "really some very decent, worthwhile ideas" during recent discussions aimed at ending the war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday. The envoys travelled to both Russia and Ukraine over the weekend and held several hours of talks with Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Outcome of the talks
Despite the extended discussions, the meetings did not produce a resolution to the conflict, which is now in its fifth year. Zelenskiy told reporters via a WhatsApp media chat that while Kyiv accepted the need to work further on the ideas raised by the U.S. envoys, no detailed outcomes were released and no breakthrough was achieved.
He did not provide additional specifics on the proposals, saying only that Ukraine had agreed with the envoys to continue developing them first.
Diplomatic follow-up and timing
Zelenskiy said he plans to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump later in September and intends to raise a winter air defence support package during that visit. In addition, he said Ukrainian, U.S. and European representatives would convene shortly to prepare for a trilateral meeting intended to further diplomatic efforts.
The next trilateral gathering could be hosted by Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, or other countries, Zelenskiy added. He expected that the agenda would include grain shipments and energy infrastructure, among other issues, and stated that Ukraine was open to compromise.
Core sticking points
Ukraine and Russia remain far apart on their visions for ending the war. A central unresolved issue is the fate of the remaining Ukrainian-held territory in the eastern Donbas region - territory Moscow has claimed as its own but has not managed to capture despite years of intense fighting.
Zelenskiy noted that diplomatic efforts have been stalled for months and expressed gratitude to the United States for attempting to revive diplomacy.
Prisoner exchanges
Another area Zelenskiy said requires continued attention is the exchange of prisoners of war. He stressed the need to increase and accelerate these exchanges, saying, "We need not just to discuss, but to achieve concrete results."
Implications
The comments leave the specific content of the U.S. envoys' proposals confidential for now, with Kyiv and the envoys agreeing to further work before any public disclosure. The diplomatic steps Zelenskiy outlined focus on winter defence needs, grain and energy discussions, and faster prisoner swaps.