President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine could use its presidential aircraft to bring US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Kyiv during their next visit if they do not want to travel aboard an American plane.
Zelensky made the remarks in an audio message sent to a WhatsApp chat with journalists, including Kyiv Post.
“I think next time we can try traveling by plane,” Zelensky said. “If they do not want to fly on an American aircraft, they can leave it in Poland or another country, and my plane, Ukraine’s presidential plane, can bring them.”
Zelensky said he had agreed with the envoys that their first visit to Kyiv should be followed by another trip without a lengthy delay.
“They have been to Moscow many times, and this was their first time in Kyiv,” he said, adding that the envoys had now seen how the Ukrainian capital operates during the war.
Witkoff and Kushner traveled to Kyiv by train for talks on Sunday, Sept. 6, a day after meeting Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Zelensky said Ukraine had been prepared to receive the American delegation by air and that both Boryspil International Airport and Kyiv International Airport, commonly known as Zhuliany, were technically capable of handling the flight.
“Ukraine was ready to receive the American plane carrying the negotiating delegation,” he said.
However, Russia struck the runways at both airports before the visit, Zelensky said, accusing Moscow of trying to demonstrate that Ukraine could not provide sufficient security for the US delegation.
“Russia clearly wanted to emphasize that there was no security in Ukraine. They struck the runway at Zhuliany and the runway at Boryspil.”
Despite the attacks, the airports remained operational and technically ready to receive foreign delegations. Zelensky said the key issue was whether Russia would agree to provide a secure air corridor for the flight.
Ukraine also considered an alternative route in which the US delegation would fly to Gomel, Belarus, before traveling about three hours by road to Kyiv, Zelensky said.
Ukrainian security services had examined that option and were prepared to meet Witkoff and Kushner, but the American security team ultimately selected rail travel.
“We said that this would also be a safe and comfortable way to arrive in Ukraine,” Zelensky said, adding that the US delegation enjoyed the train journey.
Witkoff and Kushner met Putin in Moscow on Saturday, Sept. 5, for talks that lasted 3 hours and 10 minutes, according to Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov.
The envoys arrived in Kyiv the following day and held talks with Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials.
The visits to Moscow and Kyiv were part of renewed US efforts to advance negotiations on ending Russia’s war. The two sides remain divided on key issues, and the talks produced no publicly announced breakthrough.