Zelenskyy speaks to Witkoff and Kushner amid crisis

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke on Sunday with United States envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner about the crisis between Kyiv and Washington and United States efforts to resume peace talks with Russia, his first call with senior United States officials since the Russian diesel deal.

Why it matters: The call reopens a direct channel ten days after the diesel deal and the Graham Act waiver broke relations open, at the same time as the two governments dispute in public who restricted Ukraine's Starlink service.

Data as of Sunday, October 18, 2026, 11:52 ET. Developing item, single sourced: Axios, October 18, 2026, read as far as its sign-up gate allowed. No readout from either government had been published in the reporting opened, and no date for resumed peace talks was reported.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke on Sunday with President Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner about the crisis between Ukraine and the United States and about Washington’s efforts to resume peace talks with Russia, Axios reported. It was Zelenskyy’s first call with senior United States officials since tensions spiked after Trump cut a diesel deal with Russia ten days ago.

The call came on the day Zelenskyy said publicly that the United States government had ordered the restriction of Ukraine’s Starlink and Starshield service, a charge Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied on Saturday and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent rejected on Sunday. No readout or next step was reported.

Zelenskyy speaks to Witkoff and Kushner amid crisis

Sources