Archive · 8 Sep 2026
US Peace Push Advances Toward Russia-Ukraine Three-Way Talks
The United States is trying to help Russia and Ukraine discuss ending their war.
US envoy Steve Witkoff said the latest meetings made important progress.
He and Jared Kushner met separately with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Russia and Ukraine agreed to pause fighting for three days during the talks.
The US hopes this can lead to a meeting involving all three countries.
Russia said such a meeting was possible but that dates and a location were not ready.
Ukraine said it was considering its next steps, but Zelenskyy warned that fighting might continue through winter.
Control of the Donbas region is still one of the hardest issues to resolve.
US envoy Steve Witkoff said recent meetings in Moscow and Kyiv achieved “substantive progress.”
The United States said steps were taken toward additional trilateral talks involving the US, Russia and Ukraine.
Witkoff and Jared Kushner separately met Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Russia and Ukraine agreed to a three-day pause in fighting to facilitate the discussions.
Territorial control of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region remains a major obstacle to a peace agreement.
- Who
- US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and officials from the United States, Russia and Ukraine.
- What
- A renewed US-led diplomatic effort made reported progress toward arranging further three-way peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine war.
- When
- Meetings took place over the weekend, with the progress announced on September 7, 2026.
- Where
- The envoys held meetings in Moscow and Kyiv.
- Why
- The talks aim to end the war and work toward a lasting peace.
Optimistic Diplomatic View
Cautious and Unresolved View
Progress toward talks
Optimistic Diplomatic View
The United States said substantive progress had been made, including movement toward scheduling additional trilateral talks.
Cautious and Unresolved View
The Kremlin said it was too early to discuss a venue or exact dates, indicating that the process remained preliminary.
Prospects for ending the war
Optimistic Diplomatic View
US officials said the effort could help stop the killing and produce a lasting, durable peace.
Cautious and Unresolved View
Zelenskyy warned that fighting could continue into the winter, while heavy drone and missile attacks were still taking place.
Territorial settlement
Optimistic Diplomatic View
New US proposals were described by a senior Ukrainian official as potentially offering a more effective route toward ending the war.
Cautious and Unresolved View
Territory remains a major barrier, with Russia demanding control of the eastern Donbas region despite not fully controlling it.
- Reported progress
- Steve Witkoff said “substantive progress” had been made.
- Proposed talks
- Further trilateral discussions could involve the United States, Russia and Ukraine.
- US envoys
- Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
- Fighting pause
- Russia and Ukraine agreed to a three-day no-shoot policy to enable the discussions.
- Main obstacle
- Territorial control of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region remains a key hurdle.
- Kremlin position
- The Kremlin did not rule out trilateral talks but said it was too early to discuss a venue or exact dates.
- Previous talks
- Earlier US-backed talks between Moscow and Kyiv in Geneva in February failed to resolve key differences, especially over territory.