United States special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow this Saturday to hold talks on the war in Ukraine, two people familiar with the visit told Reuters. Both have been received by Kirill Dmitriev, envoy of the Russian president.
A caravan of vehicles carrying Witkoff, Kushner and Dmitriev left Moscow's government airport and headed towards the city center, a Reuters witness confirmed.
"They bring with them a proposal to end the war," Donald Trump told reporters yesterday. "We sent them to see if we can get something done, and there might be a good chance we get it."
The move marks Washington's latest attempt to break the diplomatic deadlock in Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
A senior Ukrainian official told AFP that the envoys to kyiv were expected to arrive on Sunday.
The American media Axios reported that they would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday and then with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in kyiv on Sunday. The Kremlin declined to comment.
Trump told reporters that the two negotiators would seek to determine whether progress toward peace was possible.
Efforts have been stalled by Washington's war with Iran, while Moscow and kyiv have stepped up long-range strikes, pushing civilian casualties to levels not seen since the fighting began.
"I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two great negotiators. They've done a great job," Trump said.
The US president would not say whether the plan involved Ukraine ceding territory, as he has previously suggested, but added: "We have an idea for peace."
It will be the first time Trump's businessman friend Witkoff and his son-in-law Kushner have visited devastated kyiv since Trump returned to office last year with a promise to resolve the conflict.
Witkoff and Kushner, who have been involved in ceasefire negotiations in Gaza and Iran, have repeatedly traveled to Moscow in previous attempts at diplomacy.
war of attrition
The renewed diplomatic push comes as Russia and Ukraine punish each other with long-range missile and drone attacks.
A few hours before Trump's announcement, a Russian drone attacked the headquarters of the Ukrainian security service SBU in the center of kyiv, according to Zelensky.
The attack, which Zelensky said targeted the office of the agency's acting head, was the first against his headquarters since the start of the invasion.
Despite the unprecedented nature of the attack, the Ukrainian president proposed observing a ceasefire with Russia during the visit of American envoys.
"There will be no airstrikes on our part, and Russia must reciprocally guarantee a ceasefire - without its own airstrikes - for the time necessary to conduct these talks," Zelensky said in his afternoon speech. Russia did not immediately comment on the proposal.
Hours later, Oleksandr Ganzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, said a Russian strike killed four people and wounded five in the southeastern town of Kamianske.
Zelensky denounces attacks on airports
This Saturday, Zelensky denounced deliberate Russian attacks against the kyiv and Borispil airports before the visit of Trump's emissaries.
"(...) Russian demonstrative attacks took place during the night against our airports, in kyiv and Borispil. They were deliberate, something that had not happened for quite some time," Zelensky said in a message on the X social network.
"It is clear that these Russian attacks against airports are a reaction to the conversations and preparations for the possibility that the American side will use a plane to travel to Ukraine and land at the kyiv or Borispil airport," said the president.
"We have taken note of this move by Russia and next week we will accordingly adjust our operations regarding Russian airspace, which has become dangerous due to the presence of our drones and missiles in the sky," Zelensky stressed.
The Ukrainian president reiterated that Ucania will guarantee the security of the airspace so that Witkoff and Kushner can fly safely to Russia this Saturday.
"Of course, there are and will be no threats against diplomacy on our part," he emphasized.
Zelensky had said on Wednesday that Russian airspace would be "completely unsafe" and full of Ukrainian drones as Moscow continued its war.
Witkoff and Kushner's trip also takes place more than a week after an unusual visit to Moscow by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who warned Russia against any attack on NATO member states, according to US media.
