Trump envoys land in Moscow for Russia-Ukraine peace push

MOSCOW: US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner landed in Moscow on Saturday to discuss a plan to end more than four years of war between Russia and Ukraine.

After talks in Moscow the pair, sent by US President Donald Trump, are expected to travel on to Kyiv in Washington’s latest bid to break a diplomatic stalemate in Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of trying to disrupt the envoys’ visit with overnight strikes on Kyiv’s two airports, as well as on a civilian target in the Dnipro region that killed five people.

“Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the US side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine,” Zelensky said on X, adding there would be “no threats to diplomacy” from the Ukrainian side.

It will be the first time that Trump’s businessman friend Witkoff and son-in-law Kushner have visited war-torn Kyiv since Trump returned to office last year with a pledge to resolve the conflict.

Travelling to Kyiv by plane would be a highly unusual move, with Ukrainian airspace closed since 2022 because of the war. Visiting leaders and officials have largely travelled by train.

The envoys are expected in Kyiv on Sunday, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP, while US outlet Axios reported they would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday.

Trump told reporters that the two negotiators would seek to gauge whether progress was possible towards peace in the conflict.

Peace efforts have stalled due to Washington’s war with Iran, while Moscow and Kyiv have intensified long-range attacks, driving up civilian casualties to levels not seen since the start of fighting.

“I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two great negotiators. They’ve done a great job, and we sent them over to see whether or not we can get something done. And there may be a good chance that we’ll do it,” Trump said.

“They’re bringing with them a proposal to end the war,” he 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.”

Witkoff and Kushner, who have been involved in negotiations for ceasefires in Gaza and Iran, have travelled repeatedly to Moscow in previous attempts at diplomacy.

Grinding war

The renewed push for diplomacy comes as Russia and Ukraine pummel each other with long-range missile and drone attacks.

Just hours before Trump’s announcement on Friday, a Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s SBU security service in central Kyiv, according to Zelensky.

The strike, which Zelensky said was aimed at the office of the agency’s acting chief, was the first on its headquarters since the start of the invasion.

Despite the unprecedented nature of the strike, the Ukrainian president proposed observing a ceasefire with Russia for the duration of the US envoys’ trip.

“There will be no airstrikes on our part, and Russia must reciprocally ensure a ceasefire – without its own airstrikes – for the duration needed to conduct these talks,” he said in his evening address.

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 city of Kamianske.

Witkoff and Kusher’s trip comes more than week after a rare visit to Moscow by CIA director John Ratcliffe, who warned Russia against any attack on NATO member states, according to US media.

Earlier this week, the United States welcomed the Russian finance minister at a G20 gathering in North Carolina.