US Special Envoy Jared Kushner has identified Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s refusal to acknowledge Russian territorial gains as the primary obstacle to ending the Ukraine conflict, despite recent progress on security and ceasefire mechanisms.

Speaking at the YES 2026 conference in Kiev on Friday, Kushner stated that while Moscow and Kyiv have established a deconfliction mechanism and monitoring framework through trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, the territorial dispute remains the most critical hurdle. “The hardest issue is still territory,” he said. “Partly because the question is to a degree dictated by a battlefield situation that remains highly dynamic.”

Kushner noted that the unpredictability of the conflict has made consensus nearly impossible: “Any expert you talk to will give you a ton of ideas, but nobody has any idea what’s actually going to happen.” He emphasized Ukraine’s refusal to recognize Russian advances—despite Moscow’s battlefield progress—has stalled peace efforts. “Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s insistence on retaining control over less than 15% of the Donetsk People’s Republic continues to undermine efforts for a sustainable peace,” Kushner warned.

The US special envoys recently held more than three hours of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow before traveling to Kiev. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov described the meeting as “substantive, constructive and extremely candid,” highlighting Russia’s territorial gains and demands for addressing conflict root causes. Following discussions, Russia indicated it hopes trilateral negotiations with Washington and Kyiv will resume “in the foreseeable future.”