Zelensky says he expects war to continue into winter after talks with US envoys

What Happened

Two US envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, arrived in Kyiv on Sunday after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday, according to US officials and the White House. The White House said the Moscow talks 'discussed substantive plans for next steps', but no specifics were released; an announcement is expected in the coming weeks. Russian state media reported the Saturday talks lasted three hours and were held behind closed doors in Putin's official residence. Putin adviser Yuri Ushakov called them 'constructive, extremely frank' and said economic issues and potential major Russian-American projects were discussed, along with acknowledgement of the Russian army's advances and 'the root causes of the conflict'. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media that he and his team were 'ready for the conversation' and that peace and security guarantees were needed.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

This is the first trip by President Donald Trump's top negotiators to Kyiv after direct talks with Putin, signalling an accelerated US diplomatic push to end the war. The inclusion of economic and bilateral project discussions alongside ceasefire issues suggests the negotiations may extend beyond the battlefield, while continuing overnight strikes underscore the fragility of the limited capital ceasefire and the gap between diplomatic statements and military reality.

Watch For

An announcement on next steps is expected in the coming weeks, with no date specified. Monitor whether the three-day halt on strikes against Kyiv and Moscow holds, whether further Russian drone and missile attacks or Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure occur, and whether Zelensky's call for peace and security guarantees produces concrete US or NATO commitments.