US envoys Witkoff and Kushner hold Kyiv talks with Zelensky on 'winter package' and peace framework
US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on 6 September after holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow the previous day. Zelensky described three rounds of talks with the American side as substantive, focused on a 'winter package' of support — air defence, energy and LNG — plus security and economic guarantees and the unresolved territorial question, including Donbas.
Key points
- US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Putin in Moscow on 5 September, then held talks with Zelensky in Kyiv on 6 September.
- Zelensky described three rounds of talks with the American side as substantive.
- Ukraine is seeking a US 'winter package' including air defence, energy support and American LNG if fighting continues through winter.
- Witkoff said the US seeks a diplomatic resolution and that both Ukraine and Russia will need to make compromises.
- Kushner said the US wants to return to a Ukraine–US–Russia trilateral format used about six months earlier.
- Kushner said Trump instructed preparation of a 'peace package,' with US Vice President and Secretary of State Marco Rubio involved.
- Witkoff and Kushner said they aim for a breakthrough before winter; Ukraine, the US and European partners agreed to meet again soon.
- Zelensky said the territorial question, including Donbas, must be resolved at the leaders' level.
Why it matters
The US is engaging both Moscow and Kyiv directly, with envoys pressing for a breakthrough before winter. Ukraine's ability to withstand continued Russian attacks depends on the 'winter package' of air defence, energy and LNG support that was on the table. The territorial question — including Donbas — remains unresolved and is one leaders must address personally. The proposed return to a Ukraine–US–Russia trilateral format, alongside parallel sessions with European partners, signals a potential shift in negotiation structure, with security and economic guarantees for Ukraine's post-war recovery also under discussion.
What happened
US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travelled from Moscow, where they met Russian President Vladimir Putin on 5 September in talks Russian state media said lasted about three hours, to Kyiv for a day of meetings on 6 September. Zelensky said the American side held three rounds of talks in Kyiv, two of them described as sessions — one with the Ukrainian side and one with European partners — and described them as substantive. The agenda covered a 'winter package' of US support including air defence, energy support and access to American LNG if the war runs through winter; security and economic guarantees for Ukraine's recovery, framed as a 'prosperity plan'; and the unresolved territorial question, including Donbas. Kushner said Trump had instructed preparation of a 'peace package' worked on across the administration, including the US Vice President and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and said the US wants to return to a Ukraine–US–Russia trilateral format used about six months earlier. Witkoff said the US seeks a diplomatic rather than military resolution and that both sides will need to compromise. Both envoys said the aim is a breakthrough before winter. Ukraine, the US and European partners agreed to meet again soon; Zelensky said the next round could take place in the US, Europe or Kyiv.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian sources centre Zelensky's statements and present the meetings as substantive and focused on concrete Ukrainian needs — a 'winter package' of air defence, energy support and LNG. They highlight European involvement alongside the US–Ukraine talks and stress that territorial issues such as Donbas must be resolved at the leaders' level. They frame the talks against Ukraine's battlefield gains over the past 10–12 months, including in the east, and portray Russia as preparing further mobilisation directed at the eastern front after its elections. Continued US engagement is treated as positive, while air defence is flagged as urgent despite a current 'air silence' over Kyiv.
How international sources describe it
The international agency coverage frames the meetings primarily through Kushner's statements, emphasising the US role in preparing a 'peace package' and the goal of a breakthrough before winter. It foregrounds the proposed return to a Ukraine–US–Russia trilateral format and presents the US effort as a diplomatic rather than military resolution, noting that both Ukraine and Russia will need to make compromises.
Where reporting differs
Sources differ on the structure of the Kyiv meetings: some describe Witkoff and Kushner as holding two negotiating sessions in Kyiv — one with the Ukrainian side and one with European partners — while others describe three rounds of talks with the American side overall.
Background
A trilateral meeting of national security advisors from Ukraine, the US and a third party took place around the same period. Kushner said Trump instructed preparation of a 'peace package' being worked on across the US administration, including the Vice President and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Russian state media reported the Moscow meeting between the US envoys and Putin lasted about three hours. A White House representative told Radio Liberty that concrete plans for next steps would be announced in coming weeks. Zelensky said Ukraine has strengthened its positions on the battlefield over the past 10–12 months, including in the east, and said he expects Russia to carry out post-election mobilisation directed at the eastern front.