Dmitriev Meets Witkoff and Kushner in New York: What Was Discussed on the Sidelines of the UN General Assembly

Russian President's Special Representative Kirill Dmitriev arrived in New York, where on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly he held a meeting with representatives of Donald Trump's administration. The talks were attended by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, the President's son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner, as well as other members of the White House team. This was reported by the Ukrainian outlet RBC-Ukraine, citing Reuters data previously published by The Guardian. According to two sources familiar with the preparation of the contacts, Dmitriev's trip was personally cleared by Vladimir Putin and took place on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.

Continuation of Kremlin Negotiations

The New York meeting became a logical continuation of the contacts that had earlier taken place in September at the Kremlin, where Putin personally met with American representatives. According to one source close to the preparation of the talks, the key goal of Dmitriev's trip was to support the growing dialogue between Moscow and Washington and to facilitate efforts toward a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. Dmitriev himself, who holds the post of Special Representative of the Russian President for Investments and International Projects, has been actively engaged in the economic and diplomatic agenda in recent months, which makes him a convenient figure for "soft" contacts with Western partners without the direct involvement of the top political leadership.

Context: Zelenskyy and Trump Already Spoke at the UN

It is important to note that at the same session of the UN General Assembly in New York, a meeting between Vladimir Zelenskyy and Donald Trump had earlier taken place. Thus, within a single diplomatic window, the US hosted two key contacts: one with the Ukrainian side and one with the Russian side. This creates the prerequisites for a possible convergence of the parties' positions, although, according to available data, neither meeting led to public agreements or joint statements. Both presidents reportedly discussed the parameters of a ceasefire and the terms of a future peace agreement, but the details remain closed.

Trilateral Format: Intentions Without Progress

Earlier, the Kremlin had stated its intention to resume trilateral negotiations on Ukraine with US participation; however, by the time of the New York meeting, no tangible progress in this direction had been recorded. Russian President's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Moscow expected a new trilateral meeting, while Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that Russia had seen a "positive signal" in Washington's approach to the peace process. Nevertheless, neither the date, nor the format, nor the venue of a possible trilateral meeting had been announced by either side at the time of publication.

Contradictory Data

The available sources contain a discrepancy in the chronological presentation of the event. The base reports from RBC-Ukraine and TSN.ua, citing Reuters and The Guardian, phrase Dmitriev's trip as an upcoming event ("will take place on Wednesday"), whereas the outlet Korrespondent.net publishes its material in the past tense — "Witkoff Met with Putin's Envoy: What They Discussed" — indicating that the meeting had already concluded. Given the current date of September 24, 2026 (Thursday), the most likely interpretation is that the contact took place on Wednesday, September 23, and that the initial Reuters reports were prepared at the announcement stage. Moreover, a notable gap persists between Lavrov's statements about a "positive signal" and the actual lack of progress in the trilateral track: Moscow declares optimism, yet no specific agreements following the New York contacts have been publicly announced.

What Comes Next

Diplomats and analysts, commenting on the New York contact, emphasize that the meeting between Dmitriev and Witkoff and Kushner is more of a preparatory, "working" nature and is aimed at building communication channels rather than making final decisions. The key indicator of real forward movement will be whether a full-fledged trilateral meeting at the level of heads of state or their authorized representatives is announced in the coming weeks. Until that moment, all contacts remain in the zone of "soft diplomacy," which does not guarantee a transition to concrete steps toward de-escalating the conflict.