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Zelensky Demands U.S. Security Guarantees in Kyiv Meeting

9/7/2026

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Summary

Story summary

President Volodymyr Zelensky met U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Kyiv.
The envoys traveled by train after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian drones to target Kyiv.
Zelensky demanded strong security guarantees and refused to cede any Donbas territory.
Ukrainian officials said August gains exceeded losses and Russia suffered 42,000 casualties.

History

Historical Context

On 5 December 1994 Ukraine, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom signed the Budapest Memorandum, offering political assurances in exchange for Ukraine’s surrender of roughly 1,700 nuclear warheads. Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and its 2022 full-scale invasion breached those assurances, prompting President Volodymyr Zelensky’s 2024 meeting with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to demand stronger guarantees.

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Story summary

President Volodymyr Zelensky met U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Kyiv.
The envoys traveled by train after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian drones to target Kyiv.
Zelensky demanded strong security guarantees and refused to cede any Donbas territory.
Ukrainian officials said August gains exceeded losses and Russia suffered 42,000 casualties.

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