Three rounds of talks concluded in Kyiv on September 6 involving the Ukrainian side, US presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and national security advisers from the United Kingdom, France and Germany. Following the talks, the sides agreed to meet again soon in a Ukraine-US-Europe format, while Kushner said “new ideas” had emerged on how to end the war.
This was reported by European Pravda and RBC-Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described all three rounds as “very substantive”. He said the discussions covered both possible parameters for ending the war and short-term support for Ukraine.
One of the key topics was a so-called “winter package”. Zelenskyy said that if the war continues through the winter, Ukraine will need additional air defence systems, support for its energy sector and access to US liquefied natural gas.
The president also highlighted the need to strengthen Ukraine’s ballistic missile defence capabilities. He said anti-ballistic defence remains one of the country’s weak points, while the United States plans to increase production of the relevant interceptor missiles next year.
Zelenskyy also said around 67 Ukrainian companies are working on systems designed to destroy jet-powered drones, with several projects already showing results. He described the development of these capabilities as “Plan B”, while “Plan A” is to accelerate diplomacy as much as possible and reduce escalation.
The sides also discussed territorial issues. Zelenskyy said that, in his view, decisions of such complexity can only be made at the level of national leaders.
Future security guarantees, economic guarantees, Ukraine’s reconstruction and a “prosperity plan” were also discussed. Zelenskyy stressed that a strong military must remain the foundation of Ukraine’s security and that sufficient resources will be needed to sustain it.
Following the talks, the sides agreed to hold another meeting soon in a Ukraine-US-Europe format. The venue has not yet been decided: Zelenskyy said it could take place in Europe, the United States or again in Ukraine.
Kushner, for his part, spoke about the talks he and Witkoff held with Vladimir Putin in Moscow the previous day. He described that meeting as “very constructive and substantive” and said the parties had discussed a range of approaches that had previously failed to produce results.
According to Kushner, the US side was trying to identify what elements would be required for a lasting peace and what Russia, Ukraine and the wider world could gain from a potential agreement.
He also said he and Witkoff see a return to a trilateral negotiating format as promising. Kushner said US President Donald Trump had instructed them to prepare a “package for peace”, while the American side had put forward “quite a few new ideas” that could help move the process forward.
Zelenskyy confirmed that several new proposals had indeed emerged during the talks. He said the Ukrainian side now needs to analyse them and that Ukraine, the United States and European partners would be able to discuss the details over the coming weeks. The substance of the proposals is not yet being disclosed publicly.
Witkoff explained that the US delegation had first travelled to Moscow to hear the Russian position directly and then convey the substance of those talks to Zelenskyy. He said the role of the US intermediaries was to create channels of communication and bring the sides back to dialogue.
At the same time, Kushner acknowledged that ending the war before winter is not guaranteed. He called it a “very, very difficult task” but said the Trump administration would continue working toward that goal.
On September 5, Witkoff and Kushner held talks with Putin in Moscow before travelling to Kyiv. National security advisers to the leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Germany joined the third round of talks in the Ukrainian capital.
