Rubio says Ukraine-Russia roadmap possible within weeks; Trump claims Putin "wants a deal" after envoy trip
US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to Moscow on September 5 and Kyiv on September 6 — the first US envoy trip to combine both capitals — as part of a revived US push to end the war in Ukraine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on September 8 that a roadmap to resume Ukraine-Russia talks could be drafted within weeks, and President Donald Trump said after a nearly hour-long phone call with Vladimir Putin the same day that Putin "wants to make a deal." The Kremlin confirmed a "general political will" to resume trilateral talks but said no concrete plans exist. European officials cited by Bloomberg assessed that no significant progress was made and that serious negotiations are unlikely before next year.
Key points
- US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Moscow on September 5 and Kyiv on September 6 — their first combined trip to both capitals.
- On September 8, US President Donald Trump spoke with Vladimir Putin by phone for nearly an hour; Trump said Putin "wants to make a deal," the Kremlin said Putin "positively assessed" US mediation.
- On September 8, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a roadmap or plan of action to resume Ukraine-Russia talks could be drafted within weeks, calling the envoy talks "substantive" with "new ideas" discussed.
- President Zelensky said after the Kyiv talks that Ukraine is ready to return to a trilateral format, suggested the next meeting could take place in the UAE, Switzerland, or Turkey, and reported that the envoys conveyed that "the Russians are ready for negotiations."
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed a "general political will" to resume trilateral talks but said no plans or "roadmaps" currently exist; he did not name a date.
- European officials cited by Bloomberg said no significant progress was made, Putin continues to demand full control of Donetsk Oblast, and serious negotiations are unlikely before next year.
- National security advisors from France, Germany, and the UK (the E3) attended the Kyiv talks alongside Ukrainian and US envoys; a personal Zelensky-Trump meeting has been agreed for September.
Why it matters
The trip marked the first time US envoys combined visits to both Moscow and Kyiv, signalling a renewed US-led push to revive the stalled peace process. Rubio's roadmap comment and Trump's claim that Putin "wants a deal" raise hopes of the first concrete negotiating framework in months, but are directly contradicted by European-official assessments that Putin has not softened his maximalist demands and that serious negotiations are unlikely before next year. Ukraine and its European partners have agreed to broaden the format beyond the original bilateral track, while Bloomberg-sourced reporting suggests allies have resigned themselves to the war continuing into 2027 with Russia planning winter pressure on Ukraine's energy grid.
What happened
US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to Moscow on September 5, where they met Vladimir Putin, and to Kyiv on September 6 for their first visit to Ukraine, where they held three rounds of talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky alongside national security advisors from France (Emmanuel Bonne), Germany (Günter Sautter) and the UK (Jonathan Powell). On September 8, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told journalists in Colombia that the talks had been "substantive," that "new ideas" had been discussed, and that a plan of action to resume Ukraine-Russia negotiations could be drafted within weeks — though significant obstacles and clear "red lines" on both sides remained. That same day, President Donald Trump held a nearly hour-long phone call with Putin; Trump told reporters that Putin "wants to make a deal" and that he and Zelensky were "tired of fighting," while Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin "positively assessed" US mediation efforts. On September 9, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed a "general political will" to resume trilateral talks but said no "roadmaps" or plans currently exist and did not name a date. Zelensky said Ukraine was ready to return to a trilateral format and proposed possible venues — the UAE, Switzerland, Turkey, or the UN General Assembly in New York — and reported that the US envoys told him "the Russians are ready for negotiations." A personal Zelensky-Trump meeting was agreed for September.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian outlets have framed the Witkoff-Kushner trip as a chance to "unblock" the diplomatic process, foregrounding Zelensky's readiness to return to a trilateral format and his suggestion of possible venues (UN General Assembly in New York; UAE, Switzerland, or Turkey). Coverage stresses that the Kyiv trip was the envoys' first visit to Ukraine, contrasting it with Witkoff's prior repeated trips to Moscow, and notes Russian opposition to the St. Sophia Cathedral tour as evidence of Moscow's sensitivity. Zelensky's message that "the Russians are ready for negotiations" features prominently, alongside Ukrainian Ambassador Serhiy Korsunsky's warning that Russia's position implies Ukraine must cease to exist. Several Ukrainian outlets also prominently feature Bloomberg-sourced assessments that allies have resigned themselves to the war continuing into next year and that Putin plans winter pressure on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
How international sources describe it
International framing, led by Bloomberg reporting cited through Ukrainian outlets and the single French-language Le Monde live blog, foregrounds European-official skepticism: no significant progress, Putin's unchanged maximalist demands on Donetsk Oblast, expected winter escalation against Ukraine's energy and heating infrastructure, and intensified Russian hybrid operations in Europe. Coverage of Trump's September 8 call with Putin highlights the Kremlin readout (Ushakov: "positively assessed") and the absence of a White House summary as raising questions about what was actually communicated. The Institute for the Study of War's assessment that Putin used the call to push a distorted picture of the battlefield — together with US and European intelligence doubts about Putin's sincerity — frames the diplomatic push with caution. Trump's own line that Putin "wants a deal" but that the two leaders "hate each other" is presented as the headline US administration position.
Where reporting differs
Sources disagree on whether Putin is genuinely ready to negotiate: Trump said Putin "wants to make a deal" after the September 8 call, Zelensky said the US envoys conveyed that "the Russians are ready for negotiations," and Peskov confirmed a "general political will" — yet Bloomberg-sourced reporting says Putin has shown no willingness to soften his position and continues to insist on full control of Donetsk Oblast. There is also disagreement on whether the Witkoff-Kushner trip produced progress: Rubio called the talks "substantive" with "new ideas," Witkoff said "significant progress" was achieved, and Zelensky said the envoys brought "several" good ideas — but European officials cited by Bloomberg and an Office of the President source cited by Radio NV said no significant progress was made and no breakthrough was expected. On the existence of a roadmap, Rubio said a plan of action could be drafted within weeks while Peskov said no plans or roadmaps exist. On timing, Rubio and Zelensky pointed to weeks while European officials said serious negotiations are unlikely before next year and would not significantly advance a deal even after Russia's State Duma elections. Finally, FT sources cited by Kyiv Independent reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe is preparing to take a larger role in the negotiations; the Trump administration denied this.
Background
This was the first US envoy trip to combine visits to both Moscow and Kyiv, even though Witkoff had previously met Putin in Moscow multiple times. Trump earlier conditioned a bilateral meeting with Putin on there being a peace deal in place. CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly met Russian intelligence representatives in Moscow in August to press for an end to the invasion. Russia's reported territorial demand — control over all of Donetsk Oblast as part of any ceasefire — has not been publicly dropped. National security advisors from France, Germany, and the UK attended the Kyiv talks; Finnish MEP Pekka Toveri said their presence was the result of European pressure on Washington rather than a US initiative, citing Finnish President Alexander Stubb as one of those pressing Trump. Putin's September 8 phone call with Trump reportedly lasted nearly an hour, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov; the White House did not publish its own readout. Topics discussed during the call included Russia-Ukraine and Russia-US prisoner exchanges, per Peskov.