Witkoff reports 'substantial progress' in planning trilateral Ukraine peace talks after Moscow and Kyiv visits

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said on September 7, 2026 that his visits to both Moscow and Kyiv have yielded substantial progress in planning a framework for trilateral peace negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. The announcement came after days of shuttle diplomacy by Witkoff, who has been shuttling between the two capitals as part of the Trump administration's push to broker a ceasefire.

What Witkoff said

Witkoff described the outcome of the visits as encouraging, saying all parties were moving in the right direction. He indicated that preparations for a formal round of three-way talks — expected to involve Ukraine, Russia and the United States — would continue over the coming weeks. No date has been set for the talks themselves.

Background

Witkoff's shuttle diplomacy follows earlier meetings in Kyiv between Ukrainian officials and both Witkoff and Jared Kushner, which were described by the Ukrainian side as focused on a four-nation diplomatic framework. Russia has separately signalled limited openness to negotiations while maintaining its military operations in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine has insisted that any peace framework must include security guarantees and territorial integrity provisions. The situation remains fluid, and it is unclear whether the talks will move to a formal stage in the near term.