US diplomatic mission in Russia and Ukraine: attempts at peace and tensions on the ground

US delegates have arrived in Russia: Trump sent Witkoff and Kushner to Moscow and Kiev with a peace plan. "They have a proposal to put an end to the war", said the US president who assured: "I speak with Putin, I know him very well and he has no intention of attacking NATO". Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered no attacks against Kiev for three days, starting from midnight on September 5, ahead of the visit to the Ukrainian capital of the US delegation led by Jared Kushnir and Steve Witkoff.

Meanwhile, attack on the 007 in Kiev: yesterday a Russian drone hit the intelligence headquarters in the heart of the capital, entering directly into the office of the head of the SBU, Oleksandr Poklad, who escaped the raid. Zelensky's anger who promises revenge: "The places to hit in response have already been established."

Ukraine presented a truce proposal to Moscow, or rather to Putin himself, which should have applied both to attacks against Ukrainian cities and to fighting on the front, but received no response: this was stated by the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Zelensky's right-hand man, the powerful Kyrylo Budanov, as reported by the Ukrainian media. "Ukraine - says Budanov, former head of military intelligence who replaced Andryi Yermak last winter - actually proposed to Russia to establish a ceasefire. This proposal was personally communicated to Russian President Vladimir Putin, but Moscow did not respond". According to Budanov, who in 2023 was the target of a failed targeted attack by the Russians, says that it was not just about stopping Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory: Kiev's proposal also envisaged a regime of silencing of weapons directly on the front line. “But drones fly, you've all seen them,” Budanov said. According to Budanov, Russia could instead refrain from attacks coinciding with the mission to Moscow and Kiev of Donald Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. “I think they won't attack Kiev tomorrow,” he said, although shortly afterward it was announced by Zelensky that the Russians had attacked several Ukrainian airfields that could be used by US envoys.

Volodymyr Zelensky denounces attacks launched by the Russian side also against the country's airports, at the height of the diplomatic mission of the American envoys. "Last night the Russians hit a civilian company in Kamianske, Dnipro region, killing four people and wounding five others. My condolences to their families and loved ones. In many regions – in Kherson, Boryspil and the Kharkiv region – normal residential buildings were damaged. In Sumy and Mykolaiv, drones hit shopping centers," he writes in a post on X.

"During the night - he continues - there were also demonstrative Russian attacks against our airports – in Kiev and Boryspil. Deliberate attacks, for the first time in a long time. Clearly, these Russian attacks on airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations relating to the possibility that the US side uses a plane to go to Ukraine and land at Kiev or Boryspil airport. The Russian-Iranian “shaheds” in response to American diplomacy". "We have taken note of this Russian move - he then announces - 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 skies. Naturally, there are and will not be threats to diplomacy on our part. Ukraine is interested in bringing peace closer. Russia will be held responsible for its actions. Thanks to all those who are helping our country and the Ukrainian people!".

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani confirms the Italian line on aid to Ukraine. "We will continue to do what is right to do." He said this in an interview with Messaggero, on the sidelines of the Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio. On the risks of foreign interference in the elections, Tajani warns: "We must be vigilant. The issue is real and we must intervene at a government and European level". "In the European Parliament there is a parliamentary commission that deals with this and, as also highlighted by Copasir, we need to be vigilant - he adds - The topic of hybrid warfare is now on the agenda of the G7 and Europe does not underestimate the risk". As for the alleged Russian shadows on Vannacci's party, the leader of Forza Italia cuts it short: "I worry about what the Russians do, not what Vannacci does." "I hope that no one acts like a Russian infiltrator", he says, referring to "the attacks that could influence the vote". And he adds: "Italian citizens have the right to choose without conditioning who they want to be governed by, but they must be alert if there are attempts to influence their will with fake news." As regards the polls, the minister must not be influenced, remembering that "the New centre-right which split with FI was given by the polls at 10% and obtained results between 3% and 4%". Tajani then claims Forza Italia's role in the majority: "Forza Italia was the guarantor of Europeanism, starting with the position in favor of Ukraine: there has never been a wavering in the government's official position". On the fiscal front he reiterates his no to extra profits: "I am against having a punitive attitude towards banks, oil companies and insurance companies, because they are a fundamental part of our economy. This does not mean that they should not help the country's economy, but they must be involved in action in favor of growth".

The forthcoming enlargement of the European Union to include Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans "will further strengthen Europe's role as a geopolitical actor for peace, security and prosperity". The President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, reiterated this during his speech at the Teha Ambrosetti Forum, underway at Villa d'Este, in Cernobbio. Enlargement represents "the largest geopolitical investment Europe has ever made: it has contributed to consolidating democracy, the rule of law, shared prosperity and the resilience of the Union. It is a European success story that we should claim with confidence". Costa then retraced the latest steps taken by Brussels in building cooperation and agreements: "In the last eighteen months, together with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the European Union has organized summits with some of the main regions of the world, from the African Union to Latin America and the Caribbean, up to Central Asia". At the same time, however, "it has strengthened relations with numerous countries, from Canada to New Zealand, including Brazil, India, China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Jordan, Egypt, South Africa and the United Kingdom". This global projection, explains Costa, "demonstrates that the North and the South of the world are not monolithic blocks, but plural realities that can collaborate to build long-term commitments based on mutual interests. Instead of creating spheres of influence, Europe aims to build networks of economic and political cooperation". According to the President of the European Council "this is the best way for the EU to defend multilateralism, international law, peace and prosperity. And it is also what is at stake when we talk about the future of Europe".

“I am convinced that the Russians are attempting influence operations in our military – they always have. But I am sure they are not getting results.” General Maurizio Fioravanti, commander of the Folgore and the special departments, says this in an interview with Repubblica. The closeness to the positions of the Kremlin expressed by Roberto Vannacci is, according to him, an exception: "He was in Moscow and certainly had his acquaintances. However, I believe that in this case he speaks more as a politician than as a military man". The Army Chief of Staff, Carmine Masiello, said he had received an email from a self-styled Russian soldier, who explained in perfect Italian that he fought in Ukraine for peace and that he loved our country. "It doesn't surprise me - replies General Fioravanti - Since the birth of the USSR, Moscow has always invested a lot in these activities to influence the morale of opposing personnel: now they have only updated the tools by favoring social media and other channels. These are initiatives that the armed forces of all of NATO monitor and oppose. I am convinced that in Italy they are not listened to: from what I know, among our soldiers there is an awareness that the Russians are the invaders of a sovereign state who have violated every international law".

"I don't find any sympathy towards the 'strong man' of the Kremlin or towards his army - he continues - which is certainly not shining with efficiency and is sending infantrymen to the slaughter. Since 2022 there have been Air Force, Army and Navy units engaged in NATO or EU missions on the front of the crisis opened by the Russian invasion and they carry out their work with professionalism: I believe this is the best proof". Of General Vannacci's pro-Russian line, Fioravanti explains: "He was in service in Moscow, he had his acquaintances and I can't say how much they weighed on the formation of the beliefs he expresses. I have the feeling that he speaks more according to a party leader's calculation than a military one. And he is not the only one to do so: Matteo Salvini and Giuseppe Conte are also on very similar positions regarding Ukraine. They ask to suspend support for the resistance and to negotiate. But if it is Putin himself who doesn't want deal: the attack on the intelligence headquarters in Kiev on the eve of the trip of the American mediators is a very clear signal".

In its proposal for a solution to the war in Ukraine, the United States must take into account the reality on the ground, which is not in Kiev's favor. This was supported by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, interviewed by Tass on the announced visit of the US presidential special envoy Steve Whitkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to Moscow. The American president explained that his envoys, expected in Moscow today and tomorrow in Kiev, will bring a peace proposal. “The main question is how much the US administration is ready to invest in finding a real solution to the current crisis, taking into account, among other things, the realities on the ground. Not only the root causes, which we constantly talk about, but also the situation that is constantly changing and not in Kiev's favor,” the deputy minister said. After the 2025 Anchorage summit, he continued, the situation has developed in such a way as to leave "many questions about how ready the American side, in its approach to the complex problems to be solved, is to adhere to a solid framework."