War in Ukraine: Kyiv prepares for the next stage of negotiations after the visit of US envoys

The Ukrainian president indicated on Monday, September 7, that he was preparing for the next stage of negotiations following the visit of Donald Trump's envoys to Moscow and Kyiv, aimed at reviving the diplomatic process to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, he did not appear optimistic about a potential end to the war.

“We are coordinating our next steps. We are preparing for upcoming meetings and communications. Ukraine’s proposals are constructive and will continue to be so,” Volodymyr Zelensky said on Facebook. He added that he had met with the Ukrainian negotiating team “following our discussions with the US president’s envoys in Kyiv.”

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's emissaries, met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday and then traveled to Kyiv for the very first time on Sunday, for a resumption of US-mediated diplomatic efforts to end the conflict triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

European representatives – French, British, and German – participated in these rounds of negotiations on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelensky indicated. “I also had a separate meeting with Steve [Witkoff] and Jared [Kushner] to discuss the day’s outcome. The most important thing is to continue working together,” the Ukrainian president stated.

Volodymyr Zelensky's fears about a continuation of the war this winter

A senior Ukrainian presidential official told AFP that Donald Trump's envoys had presented new, "more effective" proposals to end the war. He did not provide further details. Volodymyr Zelensky did not appear optimistic after his meeting with the American envoys, believing that the war was likely to continue through the winter.

The Kremlin, for its part, indicated that it "did not rule out" a resumption of tripartite talks between Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington. "But it is still too early to talk about the location and specific dates," Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Several rounds of talks, spearheaded by the United States, took place between Moscow and Kyiv in 2025, but failed to produce any concrete progress toward ending the deadly conflict. The negotiations are particularly stalled over the issue of Ukrainian territories that Russia claims to annex. American efforts were suspended after the outbreak of war in the Middle East in February.