President Donald Trump announced Friday that he has sent special envoy Steve Witkoff and advisor Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend in an effort to broker an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine.
"We have an idea for peace," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "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."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the U.S. envoys' visit, stating on X that they would arrive in Moscow on Saturday and travel to Kyiv on Sunday. Zelenskyy also committed to ensuring the safety of Russian airspace during the visit, urging Russia to reciprocate with a ceasefire.
"Just as we did during previous diplomatic visits by the American side, we will ensure the normal functioning of Russian airspace so that the negotiators can arrive safely," Zelenskyy wrote. "There will be no air strikes from our side, and Russia must do the same, ensuring there are no air strikes from its side for the time needed to hold these talks and handle the logistical matters related to this American visit."
Zelenskyy added that Ukraine would work to make the talks constructive and substantive, seeking real options to end the war and awaiting proposals from Witkoff and Kushner. He also mentioned that he had directed the head of Ukraine's Security Service to prepare a retaliatory strike following a Russian drone strike on the Security Service's headquarters in Ukraine earlier Friday.
The visit by Witkoff and Kushner occurs amidst heightened tensions, including a Russian drone strike that injured at least nine people in Kyiv and a recent German accusation that Russia was responsible for an explosive drone attack on a major German airport.
Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev greeted Witkoff and Kushner upon their arrival at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow on Saturday, according to Russian state-affiliated media outlet Tass. The pair is scheduled to depart for Kyiv on Sunday.
