Zelenskyi: Ukraine expects Witkoff and Kushner in Kyiv as preliminary visit dates emerge

04.09.2026, 11:29 rubryka.com

"We are now preparing for meetings. There are preliminary dates. We expect to see the representatives of the American president here in Kyiv. We have confirmation from them that they will hold meetings in Moscow and Kyiv. We expect a meeting in the coming days. This is very important. It is important that America remains active. We are ready for meetings with them in Ukraine — at the proper level and with substantive discussions," Zelenskyi said.

Background

It should be noted that on August 31, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi held a phone call with representatives of the US president's team, Stephen Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The parties discussed the dates of Witkoff and Kushner's visit to Ukraine.

Earlier, Zelenskyi also said Ukraine had presented new proposals on the peace process and called on the US to take a more active role in implementing it. At the same time, he once again ruled out the possibility of territorial concessions to Russia in Donbas.

It is worth mentioning that the US president said Russia's war against Ukraine must end. At the same time, he said relations between the leaders of the states could be one of the reasons preventing the conflict from ending. However, Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Vladimir Putin must "stop this stupid war."

According to The Times, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said Ukraine, the US, and Europe had developed proposals to end the war. They provide for a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Ukrainian and Russian troops from the front line, and the creation of a buffer zone. Zelenskyi also said the US has additional proposals.

On August 22, Vladimir Putin called Ukraine's proposals for a peace settlement "exotic" and unacceptable to Russia. Putin refused to clarify which "exotic proposals" had allegedly come from Kyiv. According to him, "this is a kind of probing of possible areas of agreement," and these proposals "have been voiced in one way or another before, but now, in this situation, they are being presented in their own way."

On September 2, the head of the Kremlin made his usual claim that the so-called "liberation" of Donbas was allegedly proceeding "according to plan." He also said the negotiation process on Ukraine was currently in a "frozen state." Putin also claimed that Ukraine was allegedly asking to resume negotiations and personal meetings, but Moscow was not ready for this. At the same time, he stressed that any negotiations, in Moscow's view, must be "filled with specific substance."

In addition, the Kremlin rejected the proposal to create a "buffer zone" in Donbas, which appears in the joint plan of Ukraine, the US, and the EU. Russian dictator's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow considers the occupied Ukrainian territories part of Russia.

Russia's Defense Ministry also threatened to "freeze" Ukraine in winter. The Strategic Communications Directorate of the Armed Forces of Ukraine responded by promising to "warm up by the fire of Russian oil refineries."