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US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff held talks Sunday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on ending the war with Russia, making their first visit to Kyiv a day after meeting with Russia\u2019s Vladimir Putin.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Americans arrived in the Ukrainian capital by train, hoping to revive negotiations to end Europe\u2019s worst conflict since World War II, after a summer of escalation.<\/p>\n Zelensky published a video of meeting US President Donald Trump\u2019s son-in-law Kushner and business partner Witkoff\u00a0in central Kyiv, saying: \u201cTalks have begun.\u201d<\/p>\n Witkoff and Kushner have visited Moscow eight times but had never held talks in Kyiv \u2014 hit by deadly strikes since Russia\u2019s February 2022 invasion \u2014 until now.<\/p>\n Ukraine\u2019s top security officials and negotiators were also present, along with several European national security advisors.<\/p>\n Zelensky showed the US envoys Kyiv\u2019s historic Saint Sophia\u2019s Cathedral, opposite the\u00a0SBU security building, hit by a Russian drone Friday.<\/p>\n Moscow\u2019s invasion of Ukraine has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.<\/p>\n Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin on Saturday to \u201cadvance President Trump\u2019s agenda of peace in the Russia-Ukraine War\u201d, a White House official said in a statement to AFP.<\/p>\n \u201cThe two sides discussed substantive plans for next steps, which will be announced in the coming weeks, and look forward to equally productive meetings tomorrow in Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov called the talks \u201cextremely frank\u201d, saying the Americans \u201cput forward a number of ideas on possible routes to a settlement\u201d, but did not elaborate.<\/p>\n The Russian side told the Americans that Moscow was \u201cconfident\u201d it could achieve its military goals of seizing the rest of eastern Ukraine, Ushakov added.<\/p>\n Both Russia and Ukraine have vowed not to strike each other\u2019s capitals for three days around the Americans\u2019 visit.<\/p>\n Zelensky on Sunday said Ukraine was \u201cready for the conversation\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cUkraine has always been and will remain constructive,\u201d the wartime leader said on social media ahead of their visit.<\/p>\n The country\u2019s airspace has been closed since Moscow launched the war, and visiting leaders have been arriving by train.<\/p>\n For many Ukrainians, hopes of a breakthrough remain slim.<\/p>\n \u201cAt this point it doesn\u2019t give me any hope. There have already been too many negotiations,\u201d Yaroslav, a 29-year-old Kyiv resident, told AFP.<\/p>\n In televised comments before the talks, Putin said Russia would ensure the safety of the envoys in Kyiv.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will do everything that depends on us to ensure the safety of the negotiation process and mediators such as yourselves,\u201d Putin told Witkoff and Kushner.<\/p>\n Earlier Saturday, Putin had thanked Trump for persisting in his efforts to end the war despite it being \u201cnot simple\u201d.<\/p>\n Of the envoys\u2019 trip to Kyiv, he said:\u00a0\u201cNo matter what happens next, contacts of this kind are undoubtedly always beneficial.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump said on Friday his envoys were bringing a \u201cproposal\u201d to end the fighting.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have an idea for peace,\u201d he said, without elaborating.<\/p>\n US efforts have so far not led to a breakthrough in the war, and peace efforts have stalled, in part because of Washington\u2019s war with Iran.<\/p>\n Russia has occupied large swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, and Putin has insisted Moscow is intent on seizing the rest of eastern Ukraine.<\/p>\n Despite the ceasefire pledges for the capital cities, fighting continued elsewhere.<\/p>\n Ukraine\u2019s air force said Russia had attacked overnight with 108 drones and missiles, while Moscow said it had shot down 258 drones.<\/p>\n On Saturday, Putin said he had \u201cnoted that the Ukrainian side significantly reduced\u201d its strikes on Russia and Moscow.<\/p>\n However, Kyiv said that Russian strikes had killed 10 people across the country Saturday \u2014 including a child and his family members in the Kharkiv region and two people outside Kyiv.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\u00a0Putin thanks Trump<\/h2>\n
Limited truce<\/h2>\n