Live blog Ukrainian war:
Push to end the Ukraine war? Trump sends mediators
Sep 5, 2026, 6:35 a.m. Reading time: 1 min.
Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff listen to US Vice President Vance during a press conference. (Archive image) dpa
Witkoff and Kushner travel to Moscow and Kiev +++ Ukrainian secret service headquarters hit by Russian drone +++ Exchange of fire between security forces in Kiev +++ all the news in the live blog
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Sabrina Frangos
Push to end the Ukraine war? Trump sends mediators
Negotiations about an end to the Ukraine war could get moving again with US mediation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a weekend visit by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. It was discussed that both would first visit Moscow and then travel to Kiev for the first time on Sunday, Zelensky said in a video message. There was initially no official confirmation of media reports about the alleged start of an at least one-sided ceasefire over the weekend, which Zelensky had declared.
The Russian side kept a low profile. According to the Russian state news agency Tass, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to the question of when Witkoff and Kushner were expected in Moscow: "I will not announce anything. When these contacts take place, we will inform about it."
When asked by reporters at the White House, Trump confirmed that he had sent his two negotiators. He did not give any specific dates. Trump said they would bring a proposal to end the Ukraine war - he also failed to provide details on this. “We sent them there to see if we could achieve something,” he simply said.
As with previous US mediation efforts in the war, the Republican was optimistic that this could succeed. However, a real breakthrough has not yet been achieved - although Trump once announced that he could end the war within 24 hours.
Zelensky said the goal was to facilitate the most constructive and meaningful visit and negotiations with the US side so that this war could be brought to an end. He announced that Ukraine - "as it has done during previous diplomatic visits from the US side" - would ensure the security of Russian airspace so that negotiators could arrive safely. He promised that there would be no air strikes from the Ukrainian side. Russia must react in a mirror image, said Zelensky.
However, on Saturday night there were again air alerts and reports of explosions in the greater Kiev area. According to the Kyiv Independent news portal, there was a wave of drone strikes that damaged a nine-story apartment block in the suburb of Boryspil. Two women were injured, it said, citing military governor Tymur Tkachenko. The information could not initially be independently verified.
There had previously been unconfirmed reports that the two US mediators wanted to meet Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin in Moscow and then Zelensky in Kiev. According to the New York Times, negotiations about the trip dragged on for weeks. The US government has insisted that the Ukrainians temporarily stop their drone attacks on Moscow and the Russian energy infrastructure while Trump's negotiators are in Russia. Conversely, the Russians were asked to suspend the rocket attacks on Kiev, the newspaper wrote.
Witkoff and Kushner are responsible for efforts in the Trump administration to end the Russian war of aggression that has been ongoing for more than four and a half years. The two businessmen have visited Moscow several times since 2025, but have never been to Kiev for their mediation efforts. In recent months, talks have been on hold because Trump has turned his attention to the war he started against Iran. The USA most recently sat at the table as a mediator in direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Switzerland in February.
Before the visit to Kiev was announced, according to Ukrainian information, a Russian drone hit the main building of the Ukrainian secret service SBU in the center of the capital. “The drone aimed directly at the SBU head’s office in this building,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram. This apparently had no consequences for the intelligence chief: Zelensky said he then discussed a response to the Russian attacks with him.
According to the city administration, at least twelve people were injured in the attack. The roof of the building and the outer wall were damaged. Photos circulating on social media showed an impact hole on the second floor of the side wing. The SBU confirmed the damage and announced a “painful response”.
According to the museum administration, the drone strike also had consequences for St. Sophia Cathedral, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Accordingly, the window panes in an 18th century administration building shattered. Other buildings in the museum complex were not affected, it said. Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha described the attack as a “significant escalation” during a new attempt to restart peace talks. He called on the UN cultural organization UNESCO to react.
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Robert Dikomeit
Zelenskyj: Kushner and Witkoff are coming to Kiev on Sunday after visiting Moscow
The two US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected in Kiev on Sunday, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Before that, they would visit Moscow, Zelensky said on Friday. During their stay in the Russian capital, Ukraine will guarantee security in Russian airspace. Conversely, Russia must also stop its air strikes on Ukraine during the two envoys' visit.
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 first demanded guarantees that Ukraine would not attack Moscow during the envoy's stay and that Russia would spare Kiev in return.
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Ukrainian intelligence headquarters hit by Russian drone
According to F.A.Z. information, the headquarters of the Ukrainian domestic secret service SBU in Kiev was hit by a Russian drone. The AFP news agency also writes about such an attack, citing a reporter. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj said on the Telegram online service that the attack was “directly” aimed at the office of the intelligence chief. The head of state therefore instructed SBU boss Olexander Poklad to respond to the Russians in a “mirror image” to this blow.
According to the news agency, AFP reporters saw several ambulances near the building in the center of the Ukrainian capital. According to the city administration, at least seven people were injured in the attack. According to the Reuters news agency, thick black smoke rises above the building that was hit. It is one of the most important government buildings in Ukraine.
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Freelance journalist Christian-Zsolt Varga was on site in Kiev when the domestic secret service headquarters was hit by a drone. He wrote down what he experienced for us:
"It's 3:30 p.m. local time when a Russian attack drone flies low over the center of Kiev. I'm sitting in front of a café with a Ukrainian photographer colleague when suddenly the roar can be heard above us. The next moment the black missile shoots over us.
“I throw myself to the ground, immediately followed by a violent bang.”
The drone hit the headquarters of the Ukrainian domestic secret service SBU almost a hundred meters away. On the way there, there are broken pieces of glass on the street, and the window front of the recently opened Café Zavertaylo has been completely deglazed. Disjointed employees and passers-by stand in front of it. Fire brigade, police and ambulance arrive quickly. Flames are coming from the windows of the SBU building and thick smoke is rising.”
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WHO: Major humanitarian camp hit in Ukraine
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one of Ukraine's most important camps was hit in an airstrike. “Humanitarian medical supplies were stored in the camp in the Kiev region,” said WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier on Friday. Access is not possible for the time being due to thick smoke and for safety reasons. WHO employees were not injured.
The attack was part of a “broader pattern affecting humanitarian operations across the country,” the WHO spokesman said. So far this year, at least 20 attacks have affected camps where humanitarian aid goods were stored. In recent months, three camps used by the WHO in different regions of Ukraine have been damaged by air strikes, the spokesman said. As a result, medical supplies that were intended for frontline areas and regions that are difficult to reach were destroyed. According to the WHO spokesman, the locations of all camps used in Ukraine have been communicated to the parties to the conflict.
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Exchange of fire between security forces in Kyiv: Zelenskyj demands clarification
Masked and armed security forces are not a rare sight in Kyiv. For example, they stand at checkpoints in front of the sealed off government district or in front of military properties. But it's not every day that you see them firing shots, especially at other masked security forces. That's why what happened on Wednesday in the Dnipro district is a topic of conversation in Ukraine.
Videos from Wednesday night show rough exchanges of words and gunfire between men in camouflage clothing in a residential area. Surrounding streets were closed and shots were fired again in the morning. Until Wednesday afternoon, masked people stood gesticulating in front of each other in the large housing estate. Official communication about this was initially sparse, but rumors spread even faster.
According to what is known so far, two security agencies were involved in the incident; the domestic secret service SBU and the military intelligence service HUR. At the center of their dispute is the whereabouts of Stepan Kaplunov, a Russian citizen who has been fighting on Ukraine's side against Russia since 2014. He is part of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), an association of Russian right-wing extremists operating under the umbrella of the HUR and led by the neo-Nazi Denis Kapustin (Nikitin). There is conflicting information about the course of events in the large housing estate and their interpretation.
From the point of view of the domestic secret service SBU, an operation by the Russian domestic secret service FSB with the aim of killing a Russian opposition figure has been thwarted. During a related house search in the residential area, SBU agents were attacked by an armed group of people. On Thursday, the SBU distributed a video of Kaplunov in which he stated in front of a camera (apparently under pressure) that he had been contacted on behalf of the FSB about contract killings against army members. In addition, the SBU published screenshots of a Telegram chat history, which is said to provide evidence of exchanges about paid contract killings on Ukrainian territory. Ukrainian media later reported that the attack was planned by the leader of the Chechen government in exile, Akhmed Zakayev.
Kaplunov's lawyer and representatives of HUR and RDK, however, spread a different version. They accuse the SBU of having abducted Kaplunov at the end of August. They also suspect that SBU agents tried to hide forbidden items in Kaplunow's apartment on Wednesday night in order to foist them on him. As a result, HUR members came to the scene to thwart the plan. The conflict then arose from the confrontation with the SBU agents present, in the course of which SBU representatives also shot at unarmed people; three people were injured as a result.
The conflict takes place on an open stage. With accusations, video messages and numerous statements of support on social media. The respective content shows which part of the fragmented security apparatus the senders consider themselves to be. The two secret services SBU and HUR cooperate in the fight against Russia, but are also in a certain competitive relationship. Conflicting business interests are also likely to lead to conflicts, particularly in the criminal sector.
President Zelensky took pains to condemn the shooting without taking sides himself. On Wednesday morning, his press team said he had criticized those responsible and demanded an explanation. A video message followed on Thursday in which he generally criticized the clashes and promised clarification. “In Ukraine you can only shoot at Russian occupiers,” he said. Others are now responsible for clarifying the affair: the public prosecutor's office and another agency from the security apparatus, the state investigation office. There should also be personal consequences. Zelensky announced that he would dismiss a deputy head of both services.
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Russia attacks energy facilities in Odessa
Russia attacked energy infrastructure facilities in the southern Ukrainian region of Odessa during the night. The Ukrainian Ministry of Energy therefore warned of possible network restrictions. Odessa Governor Oleh Kiper said earlier that one person was killed in the attack. At least five people were injured. In recent weeks, Russia has repeatedly attacked the Odessa region, focusing on port and energy infrastructure.
In addition, according to the government in Moscow, the Russian armed forces have captured two cargo ships in the S
