A new diplomatic effort to end Russia’s war against Ukraine is taking shape, with US envoys expected to visit both Kyiv and Moscow in the coming days. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed preparations for talks as Washington attempts to revive negotiations at a time when fighting and long-range attacks are intensifying.
US envoys prepare for Kyiv and Moscow
Zelenskyy said Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who have played leading roles in US President Donald Trump’s diplomatic efforts, are expected in Kyiv after also arranging meetings with the Russian side.
The Ukrainian president said preliminary dates had been discussed and stressed that continued American engagement was important if negotiations were to produce meaningful results.
Putin says agreement remains possible
Russian President Vladimir Putin has meanwhile said that a peace agreement remains possible, pointing to US and Chinese interest in helping facilitate a settlement.
However, the diplomatic signals come against an increasingly difficult military backdrop. Russia and Ukraine remain far apart on fundamental questions including territory, security guarantees and Ukraine’s future relationship with Western institutions.
Fighting continues across the front
Ukraine’s General Staff reported 240 combat engagements during 3 September, with the heaviest Russian pressure concentrated around the Pokrovsk sector.
Russian forces also carried out extensive drone, artillery and aerial attacks. Ukrainian authorities reported strikes overnight and early Friday in Odesa, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Diplomacy under fire
The renewed negotiations therefore begin without a ceasefire and while both countries are expanding their ability to strike far beyond the immediate front.
Russia has intensified drone attacks on Ukrainian cities, including daytime operations, while Ukraine has increasingly targeted military and strategic infrastructure deep inside Russia.
The coming US visits could establish whether there is sufficient common ground for substantive negotiations. For Ukraine, the central challenge remains securing a settlement that ends the fighting without creating conditions for another Russian offensive.
Newshub Editorial in Europe – 4 September 2026
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