After a six-month layoff, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have rejoined the Russia-Ukraine negotiating process. They made another trip to Russia – the eighth for Witkoff since February 2025 – as well as their first trip to Kyiv since taking on their mediation roles for the White House. The visit has generated much speculation as to potential progress and what may come next. The White House may be keen to achieve something ahead of the November midterm elections in the United States, but Washington officials face steep challenges unless they can bring a dramatically new approach to the process. The meetings that took place over the weekend offered no indication that they were doing so, leaving a situation where the Kremlin will likely try to exploit US urgency while maintaining a maximalist approach.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Meanwhile, Kyiv will do what it can to support US overtures in hopes of securing meaningful progress in the peace process as well as material aid in the face of continued Russian aggression. Catching up on negotiations More than half a year has passed since the hiatus in peace talks began. The last trilateral Russia-Ukraine-US negotiation took place in February 2026. Then, there was only a brief sequence of bilateral meetings in Miami before Witkoff and Kushner detached altogether to focus on the US-Israel-Iran War and Gaza. Much has happened since. For the Ukraine side, the main change has been success with its long-range strikes and in holding the battle line. The ability to reach well into opposing territory has imposed significant costs upon Russia, including strikes against oil refineries and major logistics hubs. Importantly, Ukrainian forces have also slowed Russian advances, with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha indicating that Russia has yet to maintain 20% control of the Donetsk region – the main target of Kremlin negotiating demands.