Zelensky says preliminary dates set for US envoy meetings in Kyiv and Moscow
On September 3, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that preliminary dates have been agreed for meetings with representatives of US President Donald Trump in both Moscow and Kyiv, with Ukraine expecting the Kyiv meeting "in the coming days." Zelensky made the announcement during his evening video address and said Ukrainian and US teams are in near round-the-clock communication.
Key points
- On September 3, Zelensky announced preliminary dates for meetings with US presidential representatives in both Moscow and Kyiv.
- Ukraine expects the Kyiv meeting to take place "in the coming days."
- Zelensky said communication with the US side is effectively round-the-clock (24/7).
- The US representatives expected to visit Kyiv are special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
- Zelensky made the announcement during his evening video address after meeting with his negotiating team.
- The planned Kyiv visit would be the first by Trump's special envoys to Ukraine.
Why it matters
The announcement signals that the US is now engaging both sides of the war in parallel, with Trump's special envoys expected in Kyiv for the first time. It addresses a point of friction Zelensky had publicly raised about the envoys' repeated trips to Moscow without ever visiting Ukraine. The intensification of US-led mediation suggests a renewed push to produce a peace settlement.
What happened
On September 3, President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with his team handling negotiations with representatives of US President Donald Trump and announced, during his evening video address, that preliminary dates had been agreed for upcoming meetings between Ukrainian and US representatives. Zelensky said Ukraine's communication with the US side is effectively round-the-clock and that the American representatives have confirmed meetings will be held in both Moscow and Kyiv. Ukraine expects the Kyiv meeting to take place "in the coming days" and says it is ready for substantive talks. The US representatives expected to visit Kyiv are special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Background
On August 25, CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow; President Trump suggested the trip "might produce something." On August 31, Zelensky held a phone call with Witkoff and Kushner and said they were preparing to visit Ukraine. The same day, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met his Russian counterpart on the sidelines of a G20 summit to discuss Trump's peace plan for Ukraine. RFE/RL journalist Alex Raufoglu reported that Witkoff and Kushner could first visit Kyiv during events marking Ukraine's 35th independence anniversary, with the trip "slightly delayed but not cancelled" due to intensified attacks on Kyiv. Zelensky had previously criticized as disrespectful the fact that Trump's envoys had visited Moscow multiple times without ever traveling to Kyiv.