Zelenskyy Sees No Fast End To War After Meeting With US Envoys

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Ukraine is resigned to Russia's war dragging on through another tough winter and is looking for a“package” from allies that would cover air defense reinforcements as well as energy, including US LNG.

Zelenskyy spoke to reporters after talks in Kyiv with President Donald Trump's negotiating duo, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, later joined by national security chiefs from the UK, France and Germany - whose attendance on Sunday hadn't been previously announced. The US, Ukraine and Europe resolved to meet again at a time and place to be determined, Zelenskyy said.

“We had progress in Moscow. We have new ideas, and we brought them to Kyiv,” Witkoff said at the press briefing.

Quick answers to key questions

.5 QUESTIONS1What are the goals of Zelenskyy's discussions with US envoys in Kyiv?⌵

Zelenskyy aims to secure a 'package' from allies that includes air defense reinforcements and energy support, specifically US LNG, while discussing a postwar 'prosperity plan' for Ukraine.

2Why is Ukraine pessimistic about meaningful progress from the US envoys' visit?⌵

Ukraine is skeptical due to the ongoing demands from Russia for territorial concessions and the history of negotiations yielding little progress amidst the continued fighting.

3How did the US envoys prepare for their visit to Kyiv and what did they aim to achieve?⌵

Witkoff and Kushner prepared by holding substantial discussions with Putin, focusing on formulating actionable ideas toward a potential resolution to end the war.

4Should Ukraine concede any territory to achieve a peace deal with Russia?⌵

Zelenskyy has consistently rejected Russia's demands to cede additional territory, emphasizing that Ukraine's territorial integrity is non-negotiable.

5What is the significance of the temporary ceasefire during the US envoys' visit to Kyiv?⌵

The temporary ceasefire reflects an effort to facilitate constructive dialogue and demonstrate goodwill, although sporadic fighting continues elsewhere.

Zelenskyy declined to elaborate on any“new ideas” for bringing the conflict, now well into its fifth year, to an end - but said Sunday's talks also touched on a postwar“prosperity plan” for Ukraine.

Territorial issues, such as Russia's demand that Ukraine cede additional parts of its eastern Donbas region, should be resolves at the“leader level,” Zelenskyy said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin insists Ukraine must surrender the remainder of its eastern Donetsk region as part of any deal to end the war. Ukraine has repeatedly rejected the demand to hand over a fortress belt of cities in that region, which Russian forces have failed to capture in fighting dating back to 2014.

Sunday's discussions followed the US officials' more than three hours of talks in Moscow on Saturday that a Kremlin aide called“highly useful.”

Putin opened that meeting by describing the situation in Ukraine as“not a simple one.” Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov described the talks as“substantive, constructive, extremely frank and trusting,”

While Witkoff and Kushner have traveled to Moscow often - Witkoff said Sunday he had been to the Russian capital eight times - Sunday's was their first visit to Kyiv since being entrusted with leading negotiations on behalf of Trump.

Speaking in the Oval Office on Friday, the US president said his envoys were“bringing with them a proposal to end the war,” without elaborating.

Trump repeatedly pledged on the campaign trail in 2024 that he could find a fast solution to the conflict in Ukraine. But since returning to the White House in 2025, the longest war in Europe since World War II has proven tougher to resolve - and until this weekend, talks had been on ice since the US-led war on Iran started in late February.

Witkoff and Kushner were earlier greeted by Zelenskyy at the historic St. Sophia's Cathedral in central Kyiv after arriving in the capital by train. Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine's foreign intelligence service, posted a video on social media of the pair disembarking after their rail journey.

“Ukraine has always been and will remain constructive,” Zelenskyy said on X ahead of the talks.“Security guarantees are needed. A dignified character of the postwar peace is needed. Our proposals are ready.”

The US envoys' visit follow days of almost around-the-clock airstrikes by Russia with new, jet-powered drones that have upended daily life, even by the standards of war-hardened Kyiv. Russia and Ukraine called a temporary ceasefire this weekend from firing on the respective capitals.

©2026 Bloomberg L.P.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

MENAFN06092026007365015876ID1111628111