Witkoff and Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s business ally and son-in-law, have travelled to Moscow several times but had never previously held talks in Kyiv, which has endured deadly Russian strikes for more than four years.

“It is very important that the delegation has arrived to see us. We have been waiting a long time for Steve and Jared, Witkoff and Kushner,” Zelensky said, thanking Trump for “allowing them to come” during the war.

Like other visiting officials, the two US envoys arrived by train, with “Peace Express” displayed on the platform at Kyiv Central Station.

Zelensky said Ukraine had “prepared everything to make our airports operational”, but Russian strikes had rendered air travel impossible. Ukrainian airspace has remained closed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

The Ukrainian president also said that European national security advisers would take part in some of the talks.

Russia and Ukraine have pledged not to strike each other’s capitals during the US envoys’ visit. Before the discussions began, Zelensky accompanied Witkoff and Kushner to Kyiv’s historic Saint Sophia’s Cathedral.

Substantive plans

The US envoys are seeking to revive negotiations aimed ato end Europe’s worst conflict since World War II, following months of escalation.

The Russian invasion has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions since February 2022, and the conflict shows few signs of ending.

A White House official told AFP that Witkoff and Kushner had discussed “substantive plans” in Moscow, which would be announced in the coming weeks.

The Kremlin said the Americans had presented “a number of ideas on possible routes to a settlement”, without providing further details.

Putin has repeatedly said that Moscow intends to seize the remaining parts of eastern Ukraine, while Russia has intensified deadly attacks during the summer.

Despite the diplomatic efforts, many people in Kyiv remained sceptical about the prospect of an immediate breakthrough.

Nataliia Lipekh, 67, said it was “absolutely necessary” for US envoys to visit Kyiv and see that “our land is already soaked with blood and that we need help.”

“At the moment, I have no grounds for hope,” said 29-year-old Yaroslav, who added that he had witnessed “far too many of these negotiation processes”.

Trump: ‘We have an idea for peace’

On Saturday, Putin said that Russia would ensure the safety of US envoys during their visit to Kyiv.

The Russian president noted that Russia had only recently struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s SBU security service in central Kyiv.

Speaking about the US delegation’s trip, Putin said: “No matter what happens next, contacts of this kind are undoubtedly beneficial.”

Trump has said his envoys were carrying a “proposal” to end the fighting.

“We have an idea for peace,” he said, without giving details.

US efforts to broker peace have nevertheless stalled, in part because of Washington’s ongoing conflict with Iran, which has complicated diplomatic efforts on the war in Ukraine.

Fighting continues

Despite pledges to avoid attacks on the two capitals during the envoys’ visit, fighting persisted elsewhere.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia had launched 108 drones and missiles overnight, while Moscow said it had shot down 258 of Ukraine’s drones.

On Saturday, Ukraine said that Russian strikes had killed 10 people, including an 11-year-old boy.

With the war now in its fifth year and thousands killed, many Ukrainians still viewed peace as distant.

Yulia, a 41-year-old cleaner in Kyiv who came from a town now occupied by Russia, described the US envoys’ visit as a “positive step”.

“But taking our opponent into account... I can’t put my hopes in this, because for thousands of years they have deceived us with their empire and imperial habits,” she said.

“We want to believe in it, but it’s very difficult.”