KYIV, June 8 - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that he held a "very positive conversation" with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and praised their readiness to engage on efforts to settle the conflict in Ukraine.
Posting on the Telegram messaging app while stopping over in the Moldovan capital Chisinau, Zelenskiy described the meeting as constructive and welcomed the envoys' readiness to act "as actively as possible already in the weeks to come to give a boost to diplomacy for ending Russia’s war against Ukraine."
"A very positive conversation," Zelenskiy wrote.
The comments followed Zelenskiy’s return trip from London, where he met with the leaders of Britain, France and Germany to discuss how to advance a settlement of the conflict that has continued for more than four years. In London, the three European leaders backed a proposal for a meeting between Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin with the aim of trying to secure a ceasefire, and said Europe would play a role in that process.
Zelenskiy noted that while much of global attention remains focused on Iran, "our common goal regarding peace in Europe is on the agenda." He said he and the U.S. envoys discussed the prospects for talks at the forthcoming G7 summit in the French resort of Evian and expressed gratitude to the United States for a "positive assessment of Ukraine’s position."
The United States-brokered negotiations overseen by Witkoff and Kushner - who is U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law - have been stalled, with Washington clearly concentrating on developments related to Iran, Zelenskiy said.
Zelenskiy’s remarks underline an openness by the U.S. envoys to engage in active diplomatic work in the near term, and they come after parallel consultations in London in which European leaders signaled support for pursuing direct talks aimed at a ceasefire. The Ukrainian president’s statements tied the envoys’ willingness to the timeline of weeks and to possible discussions at the G7 summit in Evian.
Details on any concrete arrangements, timelines, or responses from other parties were not provided in Zelenskiy’s post.