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US President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday Russian state news agencies reported as part of a renewed push to end the war in Ukraine now in its fifth year. The pair who Trump said on Friday were bringing a proposal to conclude the conflict are expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin before traveling to Kyiv on Sunday for discussions with President Volodymyr Zelensky. Neither the White House nor the Kremlin has confirmed the visit although flight tracking data showed a US government plane landing at Vnukovo Airport after arriving from Helsinki according to BBC News.
While Witkoff the president’s special envoy and Kushner his son-in-law have visited Moscow multiple times since Trump took office in January 2025 their trip to the Ukrainian capital would mark a first for both men. The New York Times reported that Witkoff has met regularly with Putin and Kushner began participating in those meetings toward the end of last year but negotiations froze after US and Israeli strikes on Iran. A Bloomberg assessment found that people close to the Kremlin hold low expectations for the current round citing the lack of progress on earlier visits.
Zelensky reported that Russia launched strikes on Kyiv and Boryspil airports overnight calling the attacks demonstrative in timing before the planned meeting. The Ukrainian leader said his forces would not strike Russian targets while the envoys are in the region and called for Moscow to observe a similar pause. CNN reported that Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev greeted the Americans at the airport.
The visit follows a brief trip to Moscow by CIA Director John Ratcliffe days earlier The New York Times said. According to The Moscow Times the Kremlin maintains an unshakeable position that Ukraine must cede four claimed regions and forgo NATO membership. A vast gulf remains between the sides on these and other issues such as control of the Donbas the outlet added.
Trump described Witkoff and Kushner as great negotiators who had performed well in past efforts telling reporters there may be a good chance of achieving a deal. Zelensky has welcomed the talks stressing the importance of finding realistic paths to peace after more than four years of fighting that began with Russia’s 2022 invasion. Ukrainian delegations have taken part in US-hosted discussions over the past 18 months even as direct high-level contacts between Moscow and Kyiv have remained limited.
The intensified long-range strikes by both sides have driven civilian casualties to levels not seen since the early stages of the war various reports indicated. Previous US attempts to broker peace have stalled amid broader regional conflicts including the US involvement in Iran. Officials familiar with the planning told The New York Times that negotiations for this visit had lasted several weeks with mutual temporary halts in attacks requested during the envoys’ presence.
