Zelensky Moves to a Tête-à-Tête with Witkoff and Kushner: What Is Known About the Talks in Kyiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is holding a separate tête-à-tête meeting with American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. According to available information, the face-to-face format was chosen after several rounds of delegation-level negotiations and a final press conference, indicating a shift to the most sensitive and closed items on the agenda. The details of the substantive part of this meeting had not been officially disclosed at the time of writing.

Context of the Visit: Three Rounds and European Partners

On September 6, Ukraine held talks in Kyiv with U.S. representatives and European partners. The sides discussed further diplomatic steps and the conditions for ending the war. Particular attention was paid to the issue of Donbas: in Ukraine it is considered one of the key issues in this war, since it concerns not only territories but also the people who live there or were forced to leave their homes. Separately, during the talks, U.S. Special Envoy Jared Kushner stated that U.S. President Donald Trump had ordered the preparation of a package for peace in Ukraine, and that Washington is striving to create conditions not merely for a cessation of hostilities but for a long-term peace.

Contradictory Data

Open sources disagree on the number of negotiation rounds. One source states that on September 6, three rounds of talks between Ukraine and U.S. representatives and European partners took place in Kyiv. Meanwhile, another source describes the visit as "two rounds of negotiations with Ukraine and Europe." The discrepancy in the figures may be explained by the fact that one of the rounds included only certain delegations, or that the count is made according to different formats (full sessions versus working groups). Until an official reconciliation of the chronology, both versions remain under consideration.

Assessment of the Format and Consequences

The shift from multilateral sessions to a closed tête-à-tête meeting is traditionally interpreted as a signal that the sides have moved to discussing fundamental positions that are not subject to public comment. The combination of statements about a "package for peace" and the emphasis on a long-term rather than temporary ceasefire suggests that the visit by Witkoff and Kushner has become one of the key diplomatic contacts around the settlement. The outcomes and specific parameters of any possible agreements remain a matter of further observation.