US envoys visit Kyiv for first time in push to end Russia-Ukraine war

U.S. peace envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Sunday, marking their first visit to Ukraine during the Trump administration's renewed push to end Russia's four-and-a-half-year war. The trip followed Saturday talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow that yielded no apparent breakthrough. The envoys traveled from Moscow after three hours of discussions with the Russian president, which Putin called "highly useful," though a White House official said next steps would come in weeks. Zelenskiy, who sees Washington as key to any deal, stressed the need for security guarantees and a dignified peace, having prepared proposals with his team. Previous U.S.-mediated talks have stalled on issues like the Donbas region, with Russia demanding Ukrainian withdrawal from entrenched towns. Kyiv residents expressed cautious optimism, while both sides agreed to temporarily halt strikes on each other's capitals until Monday, though fighting continued elsewhere.