There has not been much in the way of peace talks this year between Russia and Ukraine, as a few sessions earlier this year yielded no progress, and the war has since escalated.
The conflict has now lasted four and a half years and seems likely to reach the five-year mark next year without resolution.
Bohdan, a drone pilot from the Unmanned Systems Battalion of Ukraine’s 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade, pilots an FPV drone in Donetsk Oblast during active battle operations. Photo: David Kirichenko
U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Ian Wojick, assigned to 552nd Military Police Company, 25th Infantry, aims a DroneBuster, an anti-drone weapon, toward the sky during the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center Exportable (JPMRC-X) exercise at Fort Magsaysay, Philippines, June 1, 2025. This iteration of the JPMRC-X marks the second Combat Training Center (CTC) rotation conducted in the Philippines. As part of the Army’s premier regional CTC, JPMRC-X enables the U.S. Army, joint force, allies, and partners to develop skills in realistic environments and conditions. Through exportable capabilities, JPMRC-X strengthens war-fighting readiness, enhances multilateral relationships, and contributes to regional security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Keith Thornburgh)
However, a report on Friday indicates that U.S. envoys are planning a new push, including visits to both Russia and Ukraine this weekend.
Citing the Russian news agency TASS, Reuters reported that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the Trump Administration’s two envoys for the Middle East and Russia/Ukraine, plan to visit both countries on Saturday and Sunday.
Witkoff and Kushner have not visited Ukraine, although they were last in Russia in January. President Volodymyr Zelensky, per Reuters, said that the representatives are expected in both Moscow and Kyiv soon.
When asked about the TASS report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the press, per Reuters, that “I wouldn’t make any announcements right now, but we will inform you when these contacts take place.”
It’s not a done deal, however, with one source telling Reuters that Russia does not want the Ukraine leg of the trip to take place.
“The Russians don’t want them to visit Kyiv and are trying to make them change the plan,” one source told Reuters.
What Will Be Discussed?
It’s unclear what shape diplomacy might take at this stage of the war. The Kremlin has demanded that Ukraine must surrender the entirety of four regions claimed by Russia, something that Peskov once again called “unshakeable,” per Reuters.
According to a report in February by the Soufan Center, around the time the Russians and Ukrainians held talks in the United Arab Emirates, the two sides agreed on nothing besides an exchange of prisoners of war. At the time, Putin also demanded neutrality, “demilitarization,” and “denazification.” That was the last time the two sides met for any kind of talks.
“In practice, these conditions demand that Ukraine be unable to choose its own alliances, be unable to defend itself, and be governed by leadership acceptable to Moscow,” the Soufan Center said. Russia has also called for no Western deployment of any kind on Ukrainian soil.
Another Push For Peace, From Ukraine
Meanwhile, the New York Times profiled Kyrylo Budanov this week, a former soldier and Ukrainian spy chief, and Zelensky’s chief of staff since January, and the man who led the delegation to Ukraine’s February peace talks.
The piece revealed that Budanov nearly visited Russia, where he is wanted on terrorism charges, for peace talks last year, although that ultimately didn’t happen.
The Times presents Budanov as a man who long fought the Russians, but is now leading the charge for peace.
Budanov also told The Times that he expects direct talks between the sides to resume by the end of September, with Witkoff’s upcoming visit to Ukraine expected to kick off the process.
The newspaper also described him as the leader of a faction that wants a settlement in the long conflict, while many others in Ukraine’s government are more skeptical of any peace process.
“Of course, we cannot trust one another because we are at war,” Mr. Budanov told the newspaper. “That is logical and understandable. At the same time, both sides understand they need to search for a solution. The war cannot be eternal.”
He also saw a parallel between his past military career and his pursuit of diplomacy today.
“I am an officer of military intelligence,” he told the Times. “My whole life, I am in dialogues and communications. For me, this is not difficult.”
The Times story also shared some history of diplomatic efforts since the start of the war, including Putin’s attempt, on the first day of the invasion in 2022, to “negotiate a swift surrender.” Both sides, the Times said, have walked away from talks and then suffered battlefield defeats.
Meanwhile, the “flurry of talks” that followed Donald Trump’s return to the White House, and his promises to end the war quickly, also led to no diplomatic breakthrough.
About the author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
