Three rounds of talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump’s representatives, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, have concluded in Kyiv. Representatives of Ukraine’s European partners also joined the final round of consultations.
Following the meeting, Zelensky, Witkoff and Kushner outlined the results of the talks and the next diplomatic steps. Key issues included the possible resumption of trilateral talks involving Ukraine, the United States and Russia, security guarantees, territorial issues, support for Ukraine during the winter, and postwar reconstruction.
U.S. WANTS TO RETURN TO TRILATERAL TALKS
Kushner said Washington believes that returning to the trilateral format used approximately six months ago could be productive.
According to him, such a format would allow the parties to discuss contentious issues directly, rather than having U.S. representatives separately talk to Moscow about Ukraine and to Kyiv about Russia.
Kushner said that during talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, the U.S. delegation discussed possible elements of a future peace agreement and what such a deal could mean for Ukraine, Russia and the United States.
He added that new ideas had emerged during the latest contacts that could potentially help move the negotiating process forward.
Zelensky also confirmed Ukraine’s readiness to work toward resuming negotiations. He said that after a lengthy pause, the very fact that the diplomatic process has restarted is important.
“We may like some negotiation formats more than others, but having no negotiation formats at all is worse,” the president said.
TERRITORIAL ISSUE REMAINS UNRESOLVED
The question of territory remains one of the most difficult issues. Zelensky said the parties touched on the subject during the talks in Kyiv.
At the same time, the president stressed that, in his view, political decisions of such complexity can only be made directly at the level of national leaders. Zelensky did not announce any specific agreements regarding territories.
TRUMP WANTS MORE THAN JUST AN END TO THE WAR
Kushner stressed that U.S. President Donald Trump’s goal is not merely to stop the fighting but to create conditions for lasting peace.
According to him, the U.S. side is working on a framework package of proposals that would allow Ukraine, once the war is over, to focus on development and realizing its economic potential.
Kushner said the war has already inflicted enormous losses on both countries and that the United States will continue working toward a diplomatic solution.
UKRAINE INSISTS ON STRONG SECURITY GUARANTEES
A separate part of the talks focused on Ukraine’s future security guarantees.
Zelensky said a strong Ukrainian military must remain the foundation of those guarantees and that maintaining it will require significant resources even after the war ends.
“Ukraine must have strong and clear security guarantees,” the president stressed.
According to Zelensky, the future security architecture must be designed to prevent the war from happening again.
At the same time, the parties are discussing the so-called Prosperity Plan — the economic component of future arrangements intended to help Ukraine recover and rebuild after the war.
Kushner also said the meeting covered the potential involvement of major international financial institutions in Ukraine’s reconstruction, including BlackRock.
ZELENSKY PREPARES FOR WAR TO CONTINUE THROUGH WINTER
Despite the renewed diplomatic contacts, Zelensky said that, for now, the most likely scenario is that the war will continue through the winter.
Kyiv therefore discussed a separate “winter package” of assistance with its American and European partners.
The package is expected to include stronger air defenses, support for Ukraine’s energy sector and supplies of U.S. liquefied natural gas.
Zelensky also raised the issue of Patriot air defense systems, which remain one of the key elements protecting Ukrainian cities from Russian missile attacks.
The president also joked that the arrival of the U.S. delegation had worked “even better than Patriot systems” for Kyiv that day, referring to the absence of Russian strikes on the capital during the visit.
NEXT MEETING TO INCLUDE UKRAINE, U.S. AND EUROPE
Zelensky said the parties had agreed to hold another meeting involving representatives of Ukraine, the United States and European countries in the near future.
The venue has not yet been determined. According to the Ukrainian president, the talks could take place in Europe, the United States or once again in Ukraine.
Following the U.S. delegation’s talks first in Moscow and then in Kyiv, the diplomatic process is now moving into its next stage. No concrete agreement on ending the war has been announced so far.
However, the United States is pushing for a return to direct trilateral talks, while Kyiv continues to emphasize the need for strong security guarantees and the direct involvement of Ukraine’s leadership in resolving the most difficult issues.
