ABC News: Top Stories
· collected 2026-09-06 · by David Brennan, Patrick Reevell
Witkoff, Kushner arrive in Ukraine for talks after meeting with Putin in new diplomatic push
The White House and the Kremlin called Saturday's meeting "substantive".
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House → arrive → meeting
President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner arrived in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Sunday in a renewed White House push for progress on ending Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor, now in its fifth year.
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envoy → arrive → year
The U.S. delegation traveled to Ukraine following talks in Moscow on Saturday, during which Witkoff and Kushner sat down with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss what a White House official told ABC News were "substantive plans for next steps" on the path toward a peace deal, despite few signs peace is any closer.
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peace → travel → signs
The pair have visited Russia several times during the conflict.
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pair → visit → conflict
They arrived from Poland by train, before being welcomed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outside the historic Saint Sophia Cathedral in the center of the capital.
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They → arrive → capital
Zelenskyy embraced the two the men before leading them inside the cathedral.
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Zelenskyy → embrace → cathedral
Prior to their arrival, Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X that he had met with Ukraine's negotiating team and was expecting a "substantive conversation" with the U.S. envoys.
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he → write → envoys
"Ukraine has always been and will remain constructive.
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Ukraine → remain → ?
We are interested in bringing the end of the war closer.
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We → bring → war
Peace is needed.
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Peace → need → ?
Security guarantees are needed.
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guarantees → need → ?
A dignified character of the postwar peace is needed.
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character → need → peace
Our proposals are ready," he wrote in a post to X.
The American negotiating pair spent more than three hours with Putin in the Kremlin on Saturday, with U.S. and Russian officials both praising the discussions.
But Putin afterwards gave no sign of compromise.
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Putin → write → compromise
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told the state-run Tass News Agency that Putin told Witkoff and Kushner that it was necessary to eliminate "all root causes of the Ukrainian conflict," a phrase routinely used by officials in Moscow hinting at maximalist Russian demands that Ukraine be forced to accept neutrality, cut down its military and abandon any NATO aspirations.
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Ukraine → tell → aspirations
Putin also "noted the successes of Russian forces" in the ongoing war effort "and expressed confidence in achieving its goals," Ushakov said.
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Ushakov → note → goals
Most experts believe Putin's position in recent weeks has only hardened, with signs he believes Russia is winning the war and is more determined to use military force to try to force concessions from Kyiv, including by targeting its energy system this winter.
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Russia → believe → system
In the last two weeks, Russia has significantly intensified its air attacks on Kyiv, using jet-powered drones to relentlessly terrorize the capital.
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Russia → intensify → capital
At the start of Saturday's meeting, Witkoff thanked Putin for hosting the American delegation and noted the "incredible" stories and memories that he, Kushner, Ushakov and Russian Direct Investment Fund CEO Kirill Dmitriev will have when they retire.
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they → thank → that
"Yours will be right at the top of it all," Witkoff said.
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Witkoff → say → it
Witkoff also conveyed Trump's best wishes and thanked Putin on behalf of the Gilman family for helping secure the return of Rob Gilman.
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Witkoff → convey → Gilman
Putin said that the credit belonged to Trump.
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credit → say → Trump
A White House official told ABC News that Kushner and Witkoff were joined by officials from the National Security Council, State Department and Treasury Department during the discussions on "proposals to bring peace to this conflict."
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Kushner → tell → conflict
Witkoff further thanked Putin for supporting what he described as a temporary "no-shoot" arrangement around Kyiv and Moscow, which allowed the American delegation to travel safely to and from Russia.
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delegation → thank → Russia
Putin and Zelenskyy have both publicly said they will not strike each others capitals during the American delegations visits.
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they → say → visits
While no Russian strikes struck Kyiv overnight Saturday, drones were reported to have targeted the nearby city of Boryspil.
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drones → strike → Boryspil
Russian strikes continued in the rest of Ukraine.
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strikes → continue → Ukraine
The Kremlin meeting did little to encourage Ukrainians, Oleksandr Merezhko -- a member of the Ukrainian parliament and the chair of the body's foreign affairs committee -- told ABC News on Sunday.
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Merezhko → do → Sunday
"We are expecting Trump's envoy but I don't have any hopes at all," he said from Kyiv.
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he → expect → Kyiv
This is something that Trump doesn't understand -- Putin believes that there is no way back for him.
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Putin → understand → him
He has committed so many crimes that, as he believes, he can save his skin only if Ukraine capitulates."
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Ukraine → commit → skin
Merezhko said he was among those skeptical of Witkof and Kushner's ability to chart a path to a settlement, describing the pair as "amateurs without necessary knowledge and experience."
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he → say → knowledge
Both Russia and Ukraine continued long-range overnight strikes.
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Russia → continue → strikes
Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 108 drones and an unspecified number of cruise missiles into the country overnight into Sunday morning.
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Russia → say → morning
Air defenses downed 82 drones and six cruise missiles, the air force said, with impacts reported across 11 locations.
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impacts → down → locations
Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported at least one attack in the Kyiv region, where a Russian strike caused a "large-scale fire" at an infrastructure facility.
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strike → report → facility
Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces downed 258 Ukrainian drones overnight, with craft reported shot down over 14 Russian regions, occupied Crimea, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
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craft → say → Azov
