First Ukraine Visit

US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff arrived in Kyiv Sunday for their first visit to the Ukrainian capital, a day after holding talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on ending more than four years of war. They are due to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. An AFP reporter in Kyiv saw the American envoys arrive by train.

They are hoping to revive negotiations to end Europe's worst conflict since WWII, after a summer of escalation. "The two sides discussed substantive plans for next steps, which will be announced in the coming weeks, and look forward to equally productive meetings tomorrow in Ukraine," a White House official said.

"Ready for the conversation"

Zelensky on Sunday said Ukraine was "ready for the conversation." "Ukraine has always been and will remain constructive," the wartime leader said on social media ahead of their visit. The country's airspace has been closed since Moscow launched the war in February 2022 and visiting leaders have been arriving by train.

For many Ukrainians, hopes of a breakthrough remain slim. "At this point it doesn't give me any hope. There have already been too many negotiations," Yaroslav, a 29-year-old Kyiv resident, told AFP. Both Russia and Ukraine have vowed not to strike each other's capitals for three days to allow for the negotiations to take place.