Fresh diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war are expected to take place this weekend, with senior U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner scheduled to travel to both countries.
Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, said he would meet the envoys on Sunday, following their planned talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday.
Witkoff and Kushner have been leading U.S. President, Donald Trump’s efforts to broker a peace agreement, although significant differences remain between Moscow and Kyiv.
“They are bringing with them a proposal to end the war”, Trump told reporters.
The diplomatic push comes amid continued Russian attacks on Ukraine. Zelensky said a Russian drone struck the office of SBU security chief Oleksandr Poklad in Kyiv on Friday, although Poklad was unharmed.
Earlier, regional authorities reported that four people were killed and five others wounded in a Russian strike on the south-eastern city of Kamianske.
The planned visit to Ukraine would be the first by Witkoff and Kushner, who have travelled to Russia several times as part of Washington’s peace efforts.
Zelensky said Ukraine would guarantee the safety of Russian airspace during the envoys’ visit and called on Moscow to provide similar assurances for Ukraine.
Russian state media reported that Witkoff and Kushner were expected to travel to Moscow and Kyiv between September 5 and 6. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to confirm the details, saying Moscow would announce the contacts when they take place.
Putin said on Thursday that there were “chances” of reaching a peace agreement but maintained that Moscow and Kyiv must first reach an understanding.
He also reiterated demands for Ukraine to make further territorial concessions, terms rejected by Kyiv and its European allies as unacceptable.
