Envoys Heading to Moscow and Kyiv Carrying Proposal to End Ukraine War
US President Donald Trump has dispatched negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv with a diplomatic proposal to end the more than four-year war in Ukraine. European defense officials, international diplomats, and regional military leaders are monitoring the high-stakes initiative as the envoys prepare to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday.
Diplomatic Push Follows Kyiv Security Strike and Proposed Ceasefire
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed a bilateral ceasefire covering air operations for the duration of the delegation’s talks, hours after a Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s SBU security service in central Kyiv. The strike targeted the office of the agency’s acting chief, marking the first direct hit on the SBU headquarters since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Separate Russian shelling in the southeastern city of Kamianske killed four people and injured five others, according to Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration head Oleksandr Ganzha.
Trump confirmed the departure of Witkoff and Kushner on Friday, stating that the envoys carry a formal plan intended to break the diplomatic deadlock that has persisted while Washington engaged in conflict with Iran. Trump declined to specify whether the proposal requires Ukraine to cede territorial land, stating only that the administration has an idea for peace.
The trip marks the first time Witkoff and Kushner have visited Kyiv since Trump returned to office last year. Both negotiators previously conducted ceasefire talks concerning Gaza and Iran, alongside multiple diplomatic trips to Moscow.
The diplomatic mission follows a visit to Moscow more than a week ago by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who warned Russian leadership against launching military attacks on NATO member states.
