President Volodymyr Zelensky began direct negotiations with US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Kyiv on Sunday, Sept. 6, meeting the American delegation at St. Sophia Square. “Started negotiations,” Zelensky announced in a concise statement confirming the commencement of the talks.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The meeting marks the first visit by US President Donald Trump’s special envoys to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Witkoff and Kushner traveled to the capital by train following their arrival in the country earlier in the day. US Special Envoys for Peace Steve Witkoff (C) and Jared Kushner (not pictured) arrive at a railway station in Kyiv on Sept. 6, 2026, on their first visit to the Ukrainian capital since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, as part of a US-brokered push to end the war following the pair's talks with Russian President in Moscow a day earlier. (Photo by Roman PILIPEY / AFP) Addressing reporters, Zelensky explained that Ukraine had initially prepared to welcome the American delegation at an airport, but persistent Russian aerial attacks forced the envoys to take overland rail transport instead. “Unfortunately, the Russians showed with their strikes that they [Witkoff and Kushner] cannot land [in Ukraine] or use a plane, even though we had prepared everything and our airports are operational,” Zelensky said, according to media outlet Hromadske.