Representatives of US President Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are due to hold talks in Moscow and Kyiv in the coming days. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that provisional dates have already been set and that the American side has confirmed the meetings. However, there is no official agreement to halt Russian strikes on the capital for the duration of the visit.
Briefly about the main points
- The US side has confirmed that talks are due to take place in the two capitals.
- The provisional dates for the meetings have been agreed, but they are not being made public.
- The previous trip to Ukraine was postponed due to an increase in attacks.
- The White House, Kyiv and the Kremlin have not announced a specific «ceasefire».
- The visit could give fresh impetus to US mediation between the parties.
The dates have been agreed, but the route is not being disclosed
Zelensky On 3 September, it was reported that the Ukrainian negotiating team is in fact in constant contact with representatives Trump. According to him, there are tentative dates for the meetings, and Washington has confirmed that talks will take place in both capitals. Reuters also reports that Witkoff і Kushner are expected in the near future.
The exact schedule and itinerary of the trip are not being disclosed by the parties for security reasons. For both of Trump’s representatives, this is set to be their first visit to Kyiv, whilst they have already visited Moscow on several occasions.
The attacks on Kyiv had already affected the preparations for the trip
The previously scheduled visit by Witkoff and Kushner to Ukraine has not been cancelled, but postponed. According to a journalist from Radio Free Europe« Alexa Raufoglu, the reason being a sharp increase in Russian missile and drone attacks on Kyiv.
The new training takes place over a long period of a series of attacks on the capital and the Kyiv region. Reuters reported that in early September, the Kyiv region endured six consecutive days of intense air strikes involving missiles and drones. This makes the security situation a practical factor in determining the final arrangements for the trip.
A pause in hostilities is not a confirmed condition of the visit
Neither the White House, nor the Office of the President of Ukraine, nor the Kremlin have publicly announced either a temporary ceasefire or a special «lull» whilst the US delegation is in Kyiv. Therefore, any potential cessation of attacks cannot be regarded as a mutually agreed condition of the negotiations.
Ukrainian civil airspace has been closed since the start of the full-scale war. Should the delegation choose to travel by air to Kyiv or Boryspil, this would require a separate risk assessment, coordination of air defence measures and a security situation that is as tightly controlled as possible. The need for a pause in attacks under such conditions may seem logical, but as of 4 September, this remains merely a hypothesis.
These contacts could bring the US back to the negotiating table
The work of a single American team in Moscow and Kyiv could signal a return to the «shuttle diplomacy» model. Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is keen to involve the US as much as possible in the search for a solution.
Reuters reported that Vladimir Putin spoke about the possibility of an agreement, although hostilities and reciprocal strikes are intensifying. The forthcoming talks may represent an attempt to directly reconcile the positions of Moscow and Kyiv through US representatives. At present, only the talks themselves and the provisional dates have been publicly confirmed; the final itinerary and security arrangements have not been disclosed.
