Zelenskyy explained why Vitkoff and Kushner arrived by train
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine had been preparing to welcome Donald Trump’s special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, at the airport. However, due to Russian airstrikes, the American representatives were unable to fly and arrived in Kyiv by train.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine had planned to meet U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoys at the airport. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were supposed to arrive by plane, but ultimately traveled to Kyiv by train. They were met at the capital’s central train station. According to the president, Ukraine had prepared everything necessary for the American delegation’s arrival in advance. However, Russian strikes, according to Zelenskyy, made it impossible to use air travel. “Unfortunately, the Russians demonstrated with their strikes that they cannot land or use airplanes, even though we had everything prepared and our airports are operational,” Zelenskyy stated.
Consequently, Witkoff and Kushner took the train to reach the Ukrainian capital. They arrived on Sunday, September 6. Ukrainian officials met the American representatives at the train station. Later, Witkoff and Kushner arrived in a motorcade at St. Sophia Square in central Kyiv. There, they are scheduled to hold meetings with Ukrainian officials.
This is Witkoff and Kushner’s first visit to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Previously, talks between U.S. representatives and the Ukrainian side took place primarily outside of Ukraine. The arrival of Trump’s special envoys comes amid active contacts between Kyiv and Washington regarding a possible end to the war.
The day before, Zelenskyy held a meeting with the Ukrainian negotiating team. The president stated that the Ukrainian side is ready for talks and wants the negotiations to be constructive and substantive. “Ukraine has always been and will remain constructive. We are interested in bringing the war to an end,” said the head of state.
At the same time, Zelenskyy emphasized that what matters to Ukraine is not only the end of hostilities itself, but also the terms of the future peace. “Peace is needed. Security guarantees are needed. A dignified post-war peace is needed,” the president noted. Therefore, during the meeting, the Ukrainian side plans to discuss not only the possibility of ending the war but also issues of security and further guarantees for Ukraine.
The very fact that American representatives have arrived in Kyiv also carries symbolic significance. Despite Russian strikes and the dangers of air travel, Witkoff and Kushner arrived directly in the Ukrainian capital. Currently, the main focus is on the talks between the American representatives and the Ukrainian authorities. The results of these talks may reveal what next steps Washington and Kyiv envision in the diplomatic process aimed at ending the war. Zelenskyy spoke about this before his meeting with the U.S. representatives. A video of his statement was released by hromadske.
On Sunday, September 6, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met in central Kyiv with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The U.S. representatives had held talks at the Kremlin the day before and had now arrived in Ukraine for meetings with the Ukrainian side.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, have arrived in Kyiv. They arrived in the capital and were already at Kyiv Central Station—this is their first visit to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
