US Envoys Meet Zelensky in Kyiv After Putin Talks as Frontline Battles Continue

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday for high-stakes negotiations, following talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, in Washington's most direct effort to revive peace talks. The discussions were described as "substantive," with a temporary three-day pause in air strikes on Kyiv and Moscow facilitating the visit. However, intense frontline combat continued, with eight civilians killed and Ukrainian drones striking a Russian oil refinery. Previous talks stalled over Russian demands for Ukraine's withdrawal from the Donbas and renunciation of NATO membership. Kyiv officials insist Moscow cannot dictate terms, while winter energy needs following Russian strikes on power generation are a key focus.