Two of US President Donald Trump's top envoys have arrived in Moscow ahead of a weekend of talks aimed at accelerating efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Two of US President Donald Trump’s top envoys have arrived in Moscow ahead of a weekend of talks aimed at accelerating efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will hold talks in the Russian capital before travelling to Kyiv on Sunday for discussions with Ukraine.
Trump told reporters on Friday that Witkoff and Kushner were “bringing with them a proposal to end the war”. So far, efforts from the US and its allies to broker a peace deal have failed to deliver a breakthrough.
Both Russia and Ukraine have said they will halt strikes on each others’ capital cities for three days while the delegation conducts its visit.
Zelensky said on Saturday that he had spoken to the envoys, who have “already begun working with the Russian side today”.
“The plan for tomorrow’s diplomatic engagements in Kyiv, involving the US team, has been approved. We are waiting for Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and are ready for a substantive conversation,” he added.
“From now through the end of Saturday, as well as on Sunday and Monday, Ukraine is ready to refrain from strikes on Moscow, and we expect the Russians to do the same regarding Kyiv.”
Russian state media reported that President Vladimir Putin had ordered a halt to strikes on Kyiv for three days due to the US visit.
Witkoff and Kushner were pictured being greeted by Russian official Kirill Dmitriev after landing at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport.
Flight tracking data showed a US government plane had travelled from Helsinki, Finland, where it flown to from the US earlier in the day.
US news outlet Axios reported that the US envoys would separately meet both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Kushner and Witkoff have visited Russia several times, but the talks on Sunday would be the first in Ukraine.
Delegations from Ukraine have attended talks in the US over the past 18 months.
Earlier on Saturday, Zelensky said Russia had fired “demonstrative” strikes on airports in Kyiv and Boryspil overnight ahead of his planned meeting with the US.
Ukraine’s president added: “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 and land at Kyiv Airport or Boryspil Airport.”
Ukraine’s airspace has been closed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Zelensky said on Friday he would guarantee the safety of Russian airspace during the envoys’ visit and called for Russia to do the same for Ukraine.
He also said an overnight Russian strike on a civilian building in the Dnipro region killed four people and injured five others.
Witkoff and Kushner’s visit to Moscow comes just over a week after a rare visit to the Russian capital by the head of the CIA, John Ratcliffe.
There was no official comment from Washington or the Kremlin on what was discussed. Speaking last week, Trump described the meeting as “semi-routine.”
Last year, the US, Ukraine and Russia separately suggested that a deal to end the war was edging closer following a flurry of talks brokered by the Americans.
European allies also held talks in Paris, but discussions ultimately ended without a breakthrough. Key disagreements remain between the warring sides on issues such as territory and security guarantees for Ukraine.
In recent months, both Russia and Ukraine have intensified their aerial attacks as fighting continues.
Ukraine said it has struggled to repel attacks due to a lack of interceptor missiles, while Kyiv has focused its strikes on Russian economic infrastructure targets.
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