Trump's emissaries are already in Kyiv for the first time to meet with Zelenskyy

BarcelonaWhite House emissaries Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are already in Kyiv and have begun their meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This is the first time Donald Trump's two envoys have set foot in Ukraine, while they have traveled to Moscow on several occasions. This same Saturday, they made a stop in the Russian capital to meet with President Vladimir Putin in an attempt to revive peace talks after more than half a year of stagnation, since the United States and Israel launched their offensive against Iran.

"We have begun negotiations," Zelenskyy informed in a message on his Telegram account. Earlier, the Office of the President of Ukraine had reported the arrival of the two American emissaries with the message: "We continue in close coordination on the next steps to end the war." Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law were received at the Kyiv train station by the Ukrainian negotiating team and later met with the president. Images released by media outlets show Witkoff hugging a smiling Zelenskyy.

It is the first time the two emissaries have traveled to Ukraine, but not the first time they have met with Zelenskyy, who had always had to travel to the United States or other countries. The last meeting of the negotiating teams took place at the end of March in Miami, although the Ukrainian president has met with Trump twice since then, at the NATO summit in Turkey and at the White House.

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a very limited three-day truce, only in the two capitals, coinciding with the trip of Witkoff and Kushner, who arrive in Kyiv after having met for three hours with Putin this Saturday night, without any apparent major progress. The Russian president conveyed the message that he will continue to cooperate with the US on the diplomatic path, but made it clear that the Russian army "will achieve the set objectives," as summarized by Russian advisor Yuri Ushakov at the end of the meeting.

Zelensky, who considers US mediation key to advancing an agreement, has insisted that Ukraine is "prepared to engage in dialogue" and that it "has been and will continue to be constructive." "We are interested in bringing the end of the war closer. Peace is necessary. Security guarantees are needed. The postwar peace must have a dignified character," he stressed in a message on social media, thereby remaining firm in not accepting any outcome that does not guarantee that Russia will not attack Ukraine again. He stated that proposals for a "dignified" peace for Ukraine are ready and that it is now important to work "in a coordinated, substantial, and realistic manner."

It is expected that after the meeting with the White House envoys, Zelensky will meet with national security advisors from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.