The Independent World
· collected 2026-09-06 · by Holly Bancroft and Suha Kidwai
Story summary
Here's a summary of the news story based on the article excerpts:
Donald Trump sends special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Russia and Ukraine to negotiate a peace deal. The two men, who have been leading US efforts to broker a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, will visit Moscow on Saturday and then head to Kyiv, Ukraine's capital city, on Sunday for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump has suggested that the US has a new proposal aimed at ending the war, which is now in its fifth year, but did not elaborate on what it entails.
Zelensky confirms he will meet with Witkoff and Kushner, saying that they "are bringing with them a proposal to end the war." The Ukrainian president also guaranteed the safety of Russian airspace during their visit. In a related development, Trump has been critical of Europe for not paying its share of military aid to Ukraine, suggesting that European nations should repay the US for past assistance.
The news comes as tensions between Russia and Ukraine remain high, with both sides accusing each other of violating a ceasefire agreement. The fate of the peace talks is uncertain, but the fact that Trump has sent his top envoys to the region suggests that he is serious about finding a solution to the conflict.
Written for “Trump's Peace Efforts in Ukraine” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 66 other(s) covering the same event.
Volodymyr Zelensky suggests Ukraine is preparing for another winter at war with Russia despite hosting president Donald Trump’s peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Kyiv yesterday.
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Ukraine → suggest → Kyiv
Lauding their “very substantive” conversation, Zelensky said Ukraine was ready for trilateral talks involving Russia, the US and Ukraine.
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Ukraine → laud → Russia
But, he added, “if the war continues into the winter, we are counting heavily on the winter package [of support], which I discussed in detail today with Steve, Jared, and our European partners.
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I → add → Steve
"We are counting on support for air defence and the energy sector, as well as substantial volumes of American LNG and the ability to use them,” Zelensky said after his meeting with the two US officials.
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Zelensky → count → officials
Trump’s son-in-law Kushner and Witkoff met with Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday, after holding three hours of talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Saturday in Moscow.
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Kushner → meet → Moscow
Witkoff said he had "heard new ideas" in Moscow and hoped a new round of US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine would be announced "in short order”.
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round → say → order
Zelensky said ending the war will ultimately come down to solving the matter of contested territory in eastern Ukraine.
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ending → say → Ukraine
“The question of Donbas... I believe, is the question of this war,” he said.
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he → believe → war
‘Overnight we all became war correspondents’: Ukraine’s local newspapers face battle to stay alive
In the weeks leading up to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the headlines in a Kyiv newspaper looked much like they would anywhere else.
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they → become → newspaper
There was some debate over whether Russia would actually attack its neighbour.
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Russia → be → neighbour
On 24 February 2022, everything changed as Russian tanks rolled across the border.
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tanks → change → border
Businesses closed or relocated, martial law saw hundreds of thousands of working-age men recruited for military service, and around one million people fled the country in the first week.
A brave few stayed behind to keep a record of what happened as the missiles rained down.
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missiles → close → record
Local journalists observed and asked questions as their communities were torn apart by the war.
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communities → observe → war
Watch: Trump envoys arrive in Kyiv for peace talks after meeting Putin
US peace envoys' visit to Ukraine sparks cautious optimism on the streets of Kyiv
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visit → watch → Kyiv
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have visited Moscow several times in their roles as peace envoys.
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envoys → visit → envoys
But Sunday marked their first visit to Kyiv in their capacity as US negotiators.
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Sunday → mark → negotiators
Their visit has long been sought by Ukraine's leadership, and on the streets of Kyiv, which has been bombarded heavily in recent weeks, some residents were hopeful.
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residents → seek → weeks
“The issue can be solved in the blink of an eye.
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issue → solve → eye
We want peace.
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We → want → peace
I've fought myself, so I know what war is like.
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war → fight → what
We need peace, because there's no other way,” said military veteran Stepan Yermak.
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Yermak → need → peace
In previous talks, the sides have remained far apart on key issues, including the future of the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas.
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sides → remain → Donbas
Russia has demanded Ukraine's withdrawal from a belt of towns that it still controls there, but Kyiv has refused, reasoning that it can still hold on.
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it → demand → that
“The question of Donbas... I believe, is the question of this war,” Zelensky told reporters on Sunday.
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Zelensky → believe → Sunday
US envoy Witkoff says he ‘feels good’ about Ukraine peace talks
US envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday that he felt good about peace talks in both Moscow and Kyiv.
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he → say → Moscow
The senior envoy from the Trump administration who held talks with Ukraine yesterday said that the US hoped to find a diplomatic solution to the war.
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US → hold → war
Hours earlier, president Volodymyr Zelensky said his talks with US peace negotiators were “very substantial”.
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talks → say → negotiators
The two sides discussed security and economic guarantees for Ukraine and also supplies of air-defence missiles and a winter support package.
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sides → discuss → missiles
He also hoped that trilateral talks, including Ukraine, Russia and the US would restart soon.
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talks → hop → Ukraine
One killed and three injured in Russia-held Sevastopol
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three → kill → Sevastopol
A girl was killed and three other people were wounded in a Ukraine drone attack on the Russia-held Black Sea port city of Sevastopol late on Sunday, officials said.
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officials → kill → Sunday
The attack was confirmed by Moscow-appointed governor Mikhail Razvozhayev on his Telegram channel.
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attack → confirm → channel
Zelensky says window of opportunity for peace exists before 2028 US election
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window → say → election
The Ukrainian president, who believes Washington will be key to any peace deal, has said a window of opportunity to make peace exists before the US begins focusing on its next presidential election in 2028.
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US → believe → 2028
The US envoys held several hours of talks with Ukrainian officials.
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envoys → hold → officials
British, French and German national security advisers, who were also in Kyiv, joined for the final hour.
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who → join → hour
The US-Ukrainian discussions were due to continue on Sunday evening.
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discussions → continue → evening
During a break, Volodymyr Zelensky said officials discussed the possibility of security and economic guarantees for Kyiv, as well as a post-war "prosperity plan."
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officials → say → Kyiv
"In the last 10 to 12 months, I believe we have got stronger," Mr Zelensky said, adding that the U.S. and Europe had noted this.
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U.S. → believe → this
US envoys meet Zelensky in Kyiv after Putin talks
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Putin → meet → Kyiv
…and 14 more, not listed.
