FT: Witkoff and Kushner’s talks in Moscow and Kyiv yielded no results

Hours-long negotiations by U.S. presidential special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Kyiv and Moscow yielded no results.

This was reported by the Financial Times, citing sources.

The Kremlin called the visit “a small step toward peace,” while Zelensky said he discussed the outcomes with European partners.

On September 5, Witkoff and Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The White House described the talks as “substantive,” while the Kremlin characterized the situation regarding a war settlement as difficult. On the morning of September 6, the American negotiators arrived in Kyiv by train from Poland — it was the first visit to Ukraine for both of them since they took on the peace settlement effort.

According to the FT, Trump’s envoys presented updated versions of previously developed peace settlement documents during the talks, revised to reflect changes over recent months. The publication’s sources note that Trump’s representatives brought relatively few new ideas, seeking instead to revive earlier proposals and narrow the gap between Kyiv’s and Moscow’s positions.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov gave a positive assessment of the outcome of the meeting with the American envoys on September 7.

“Certainly, any attempts are more or less effective — this is one small step toward peace,” he said.

Peskov added that Moscow “truly values very highly” the efforts of the American negotiators to end the war. He also did not rule out the possibility of resuming a trilateral negotiating format, which Kushner had mentioned in Kyiv, but noted that it was too early to speak about the venue and timing of such talks under U.S. mediation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed the outcomes of the meeting with Witkoff and Kushner with his negotiating team, as well as with representatives of France, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

“The most important thing is to continue working actively and jointly together so that diplomacy continues. We had substantive discussions about our air defense needs, relevant technological cooperation, and the necessary winter package. Partners know what can work and what must work by winter. We are coordinating next steps. We are preparing upcoming meetings and communications,” he wrote on Telegram.

After the first round of talks in Kyiv, Kushner told journalists that U.S. President Donald Trump understands that a peace settlement in Ukraine is “a very difficult and complex problem,” but that he is “very determined to end this war, stop the loss of life, and bring relief to families.”