Published on 05/09/2026 – 8:04 GMT+2•Updated 8:13
US peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are scheduled to visit Kyiv and Moscow this weekend, carrying a proposal to end the war, President Donald Trump announced Friday in a fresh attempt to break the diplomatic impasse over the conflict in Ukraine.
“I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner—two skilled negotiators who have done excellent work. They are in Moscow and Kyiv to determine whether progress can be made, and there is a realistic chance we can achieve results,” Trump told reporters on Friday.
The envoys are expected to arrive in Moscow on Saturday and then travel to Kyiv on Sunday, marking their first visits to the Ukrainian capital since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the planned visit via a post on X.
“We must explore real options to bring this war to an end,” Zelenskyy wrote. “We will assess the proposals Steve and Jared present and the response they receive in Moscow.”
He added that Ukrainian forces would guarantee the “normal functioning of Russian airspace” to ensure the envoys’ safe passage to Moscow.
Zelenskyy had warned airlines and insurers on Tuesday that Russian airspace would “effectively close” because of the scale of Ukrainian drone operations, which were making flights unsafe.
However, the Ukrainian leader said Ukraine would suspend strikes during the envoys’ trip and called on Moscow to reciprocate.
“We are looking out for them, not for Russia. There will be no strikes from our side, and Russia must do the same—ensuring no strikes from its side for the duration needed to hold these talks and manage the logistical aspects of this American visit,” he wrote on social media.
Four killed in Russian strikes overnight
The announcement came as Russian strikes on Kamianske in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region killed four people overnight, according to local authorities.
Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, said five others were injured in the strikes, which targeted an industrial facility.
On Friday, Zelenskyy announced that a Russian drone had struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) in central Kyiv, saying it had been “aimed directly” at the agency’s chief.
In response, he said he had ordered the SBU to carry out an “appropriate, tangible response and, where possible, one that mirrors this strike.”