US President Donald Trump has announced that he is sending Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv. The two envoys will carry a proposal aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
Trump made the announcement on Friday. He said the two negotiators would assess whether meaningful progress toward peace was possible.
According to a senior Ukrainian official, the envoys are expected to arrive in Kyiv on Sunday. US outlet Axios reported that they would first meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday.
The two officials are then expected to travel to Kyiv. There, they are scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday.
The Kremlin has not commented on the reported meetings. Trump said Witkoff and Kushner would take an idea for peace with them during their diplomatic mission.
“They’re bringing with them a proposal to end the war,” Trump told reporters. He also said there could be a good chance of reaching an agreement.
Trump did not reveal whether the proposal would require Ukraine to give up territory. He has previously suggested that territorial concessions could be part of a possible settlement.
The planned mission comes as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict face major challenges. The war began after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
More than four years into the conflict, Russia and Ukraine continue to exchange missile and drone attacks. The latest escalation has increased pressure for renewed diplomatic efforts.
Just hours before Trump announced the mission, a Russian drone reportedly struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s SBU security service in central Kyiv. Zelensky said the attack targeted the office of the agency’s acting chief.
The strike was reportedly the first attack on the SBU headquarters since the beginning of Russia’s invasion. Despite the attack, Zelensky proposed a temporary ceasefire during the US envoys’ visit.
He called on Russia to stop airstrikes for the duration of the talks. Zelensky said Ukraine would also refrain from conducting airstrikes during that period.
Russia had not immediately responded to the ceasefire proposal. Meanwhile, fighting continued in other parts of Ukraine.
Oleksandr Ganzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, said a Russian strike killed four people in Kamianske. Five others were reportedly wounded in the attack.
Witkoff and Kushner have previously taken part in US diplomatic efforts involving Gaza and Iran. They have also travelled to Moscow during earlier attempts to advance negotiations.
Their latest mission will be closely watched by both Moscow and Kyiv. The visit could provide a new opportunity for direct discussions after months of limited progress.
Trump has repeatedly promised to help bring the Ukraine war to an end. The latest diplomatic push represents another attempt by Washington to find a possible path toward a settlement.
However, major disagreements remain between Russia and Ukraine. Issues including territory, security guarantees and the future of Ukraine remain central to any potential peace agreement.
The success of the latest mission will depend on whether the two sides are prepared to make compromises. For now, Washington appears focused on testing whether a new diplomatic opening is possible.
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