Key facts
- President Zelensky spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
- The call aimed to finalize dates for the envoys' visit to Ukraine.
- Witkoff and Kushner are leading Trump's peace initiative for the Russia-Ukraine war.
- The envoys' prior visit to Ukraine was postponed.
- U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently met with Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov regarding Trump's peace plan.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on August 31, 2026, that he held a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to discuss and finalize dates for their upcoming visit to Ukraine. The two envoys are leading Trump's efforts to broker an end to the Russia-Ukraine war and have previously traveled to Moscow to meet with Russian officials.
Zelensky described the conversation as "detailed and constructive," emphasizing that the dialogue between the U.S. and Ukrainian negotiating teams is ongoing. He stated that the visit would be "highly beneficial for hammering out solutions for peace" and that the battlefield situation was also discussed. The planned visit was reportedly postponed earlier in the month, with speculation suggesting Trump wished to keep the diplomats close due to an unresolved standoff with Iran.
This development follows news of U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent meeting with Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov in the U.S. to discuss Trump's 28-point peace plan. An earlier version of this plan, brokered by Witkoff and Russian Envoy Kirill Dmitriev, was published last November and imposed significant demands on Ukraine. While the plan was later revised to 20 points through talks with Ukrainian and Western officials, the Kremlin rejected the changes, leading to a deadlock in negotiations. It remains unclear which version of the peace plan Bessent presented, and a Ukrainian official indicated they had no knowledge of the Treasury Secretary's meeting.