Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have visited Moscow several times since 2025, but have never been to Kyiv for their mediation efforts.
The two US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected in Kiev on Sunday, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. US President Donald Trump confirmed this. Accordingly, the envoys will also travel to Moscow.
Due to security concerns, it was not clear until recently whether the trip planned for the weekend by US President Donald Trump's two negotiators would take place. According to insiders, the US government initially demanded guarantees that Ukraine would not attack Moscow during the envoy's stay and that Russia would spare Kiev in return. The US mediators have visited Moscow several times since 2025 but have never been to Kiev for their mediation efforts.
The Russian army attacked the main building of the Ukrainian secret service SBU in the center of the capital Kiev with a drone. “The drone aimed directly at the office of the head of the SBU in this building,” President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Telegram. The head of state therefore instructed SBU boss Olexander Poklad to respond to the Russians in a “mirror image” to this blow. According to Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko, five people were injured. Thick black smoke rises above the building that was hit.
According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russian units attacked two cargo ships in the Black Sea this morning. The Defense Ministry in Moscow said they had weapons, ammunition and other military equipment on board for Ukraine. In addition, Russia attacked the southern Ukrainian region of Odessa again during the night. The Ukrainian Ministry of Energy is therefore warning of possible network restrictions. Odessa Governor Oleh Kiper earlier said one person was killed in the attack. At least five people were injured.
Authorities: Fire in oil depot in Sochi after Ukrainian drone attack
An oil depot in the Russian Black Sea port of Sochi burns after a Ukrainian drone attack. The Russian authorities in the Krasnodar region announced this via the short message service Telegram.
Russian authorities report deaths after Ukrainian shelling in Belgorod region
According to authorities, at least four people were killed by Ukrainian shelling in the Russian border region of Belgorod. Three others were injured, the acting governor of the western Russian region, Alexander Shuvayev, said on Telegram. The victims were traveling in an ambulance in the city of Shebekino. Shebekino is only around five kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border.
Zelenskiy hopes that US negotiators will arrive soon
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expects US mediators to arrive “in the next few days”. “We are counting on seeing the representatives of the President of the USA here in Kiev,” the head of state said in a video message. There is confirmation from the Americans for meetings in Moscow and Kyiv. “It is very important that America remains active,” emphasized Zelenskiy. Kyiv is ready for a substantive exchange at a high level. The Ukrainian negotiating team is in contact with Washington virtually around the clock.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner have been expected in Ukraine for months for talks on an end to the Russian-Ukrainian war that has been going on since 2022. However, there have already been several negotiations in Moscow, which caused Zelensky's displeasure in April.
Russian hit on large medicine warehouse near Kyiv
According to media reports, a large medicine warehouse in the Ukrainian city of Boryspil near Kiev was damaged by a Russian airstrike. The Internet portal Ukrayinska Pravda wrote that it is one of the largest specialized pharmaceutical warehouses in Ukraine. The military governor of the Kiev region, Tymur Tkachenko, confirmed as usual only one hit on a warehouse, without giving details. He wrote on Telegram about an injured person.
Norway seizes Russian ship in Arctic
A Russian ship was confiscated by Norwegian authorities off the Spitsbergen archipelago. The Ukrainian state energy company Naftogaz had previously submitted a corresponding application, as the authorities in Svalbard announced. The background to this is an earlier decision by an arbitration court that obliged Russia to pay compensation of around 4.2 billion US dollars (around 3.6 billion euros). Moscow is now accusing Norway of piracy.
Putin rules out new mobilization for war in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin says he is ruling out new mobilization for war. There are no scenarios in which such a step is necessary, since Russia has no problems with the availability of military personnel, says Putin. He recently dismissed such speculation as “complete nonsense”.
Federal government provides 250 million for energy infrastructure
The federal government is providing a further 250 million euros for Ukraine through the state development bank KfW. The Ministry of Economic Affairs in Berlin said the money was intended for repairs to the energy infrastructure before the coming winter. “This contributes to securing the population’s energy and heat supply despite ongoing Russian attacks.” Energy supply remains a front line in this war, says Federal Economics Minister Katherina Reiche. She appeals to other states to also provide funds. Since 2022, the federal government has paid 560 million euros into the energy support fund. With the current increase, this amount rises to 810 million euros.
Ukraine: 17 injured in Russian attacks on Odessa
According to local authorities, 17 people were injured in Russian air strikes on the Ukrainian port city of Odessa. Three children were among the victims, said the head of the city's military administration, Serhiy Lysak, on the short message service Telegram. A 21-story residential building was damaged.
Danish secret service: Russia is planning sabotage in Denmark
Danish authorities have uncovered plans and preparations for Russian sabotage in Denmark, according to a report in Berlingske newspaper. The targets are particularly companies in the defense industry that have a connection to military aid in Ukraine, said the head of counterintelligence at the Danish domestic intelligence and security service PET, Emil Græsholm.
“The main goal is to stop concrete supplies for the Ukrainian defense,” Græsholm reportedly said. “At the same time, they want to scare us so that we no longer support the Ukraine and do not expand our own defense capabilities.”
Russia is also trying to recruit “ordinary Danes” for its plans - often without them knowing that they are working for Moscow. “It can be about taking photos or videos of companies or facilities, which can then be used for sabotage plans,” said Græsholm. He called on Danes to be suspicious when confronted with such requests.
Bulgaria allows exceptions to Russia sanctions for nuclear power plant
The Bulgarian government approves exemptions from EU sanctions against Russia to allow the import of iron and steel for the Kozloduy nuclear power plant. The government says that replacement parts from Russian manufacturers are regularly required for the Soviet-designed reactors in order to ensure nuclear safety. Kozloduy is the country's only nuclear power plant and supplies more than a third of Bulgaria's electricity.
Ukraine receives air defense commitments at EU meeting
Ukraine received new commitments to support its air defense at an EU foreign ministers meeting in Ireland. “We were pleased to hear announcements from member states today that they would provide air defense,” said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas after the end of discussions in County Wicklow. This is something that has been asked for for a long time.
Kallas did not want to reveal who made the new commitments and what they specifically entail. Member States that have made such announcements will also make these public announcements themselves, she said. “But it was important for Ukraine to hear that there is actually movement in air defense.”
The day before, Kallas said at a meeting of defense ministers that it was known that some EU countries had interceptor missiles whose useful life was about to expire. It would therefore be good to leave this to Ukraine, which could use it to protect its population from Russian air strikes. According to diplomats, she was probably referring primarily to Greece. Ukraine recently stated its current need for interceptor missiles at around 300. A prolonged shortage could be particularly problematic in view of Russian attacks on the energy infrastructure in the winter.
Zelensky: Ukraine and Germany about to conclude drone agreement
Ukraine is close to concluding an agreement with Germany on the joint development of drones. This was announced by Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky after a telephone conversation with Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The agreement, proposed by Ukraine a few months ago, would include the joint development of various types of drones, missiles and associated software. "Our teams are currently completing work on the text of the drone agreement. This will bring additional defense capacities to both Germany and Ukraine," explains Zelensky via the short message service Telegram.
Meanwhile, the EU states are examining a request from Ukraine for money for new anti-aircraft defenses. This is what EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Brussels at a press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. You can confirm the new payment request. “It is worth billions of euros and would cover Ukraine’s air defense, including the state-of-the-art PAC-3 Patriot air defense systems.” At the same time, Europe is working with Ukraine on the Europe-wide Freya missile defense project, said von der Leyen. From the support loan of 90 billion euros for Ukraine, 8.5 billion euros have already been made available for drones and missiles for Ukraine since June.
Dead in Dnipro – new attacks on Kyiv
At least two people were killed in a Russian rocket attack in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Another five were injured, the Dnipropetrovsk region prosecutor's office said. According to the regional governor Olexander Hanscha, the target was food warehouses. There was a fire. According to authorities, the capital Kyiv was also attacked again by Russian drones. At least nine people were injured, the public prosecutor's office said. Several buildings, including five residential buildings, a kindergarten and warehouses, were damaged.
Author: Luzia Geier
