US presidential special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner brought updated versions of previous US peace proposals to Kyiv. The issue of territory in Donbas remains the key point of contention in the peace proposals, The Financial Times reports.
On Sunday, September 6, Witkoff and Kushner held several hours of talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on ways to end the war in Ukraine, a day after meeting Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Kushner said the envoys had put forward "new ideas" during the talks but declined to provide details.
However, sources say the Americans brought updated versions of previous peace settlement documents to Kyiv, revised to reflect changing circumstances since peace talks stalled in February at the start of the war between the US and Iran.
The newspaper’s sources say the envoys offered few new ideas, instead seeking to revive previous proposals and narrow the differences between Kyiv and Moscow.
The main point of contention remains the Ukrainian-controlled part of Donbas, which Russia has been unable to capture despite years of fighting. The newspaper reports that Russia has already occupied around 75% of Donbas.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly stressed that Ukraine will not cede this territory to Russia, nor any other land currently controlled by Russian troops.
At a press conference after the meetings, Zelenskyy acknowledged that the negotiators had discussed territorial issues but stressed that they should be resolved "at the level of leaders".
Following the talks, Kushner said Washington expected to resume trilateral negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and the United States, which stalled after the start of the war in Iran.
