Witkoff, Kushner Carry Peace Plan to Moscow, Kyiv

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump's lead negotiators on the Russia-Ukraine war, arrived in Moscow this weekend carrying what Trump described as a proposal to end the conflict, with a stop in Kyiv to follow. Russian state news agency Tass reported the pair were met at the airport by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, according to DW. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed he will meet the envoys on Sunday after their Saturday talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, BBC reported.

"They are bringing with them a proposal to end the war," Trump told reporters Friday when asked about the trip. He offered no details of the plan, including whether it involves Ukraine ceding territory to Russia, an idea he has raised before, DW reported.

The visit comes amid continued Russian attacks. Zelensky said a Russian drone struck the Kyiv office of Oleksandr Poklad, who heads Ukraine's SBU security service, on Friday; Poklad appeared unharmed. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the strike "a major escalation." On Saturday, regional officials said a Russian strike on the southeastern city of Kamianske killed four people and wounded five, according to Oleksandr Ganzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration. Zelensky said Ukraine would halt airstrikes during the negotiations and guarantee the safety of Russian airspace, calling on Moscow to do the same for Ukraine.

The context

Witkoff, a businessman serving as Trump's special envoy, and Kushner, the president's son-in-law, have led the administration's efforts to broker peace in both Ukraine and the Middle East. They have traveled to Russia multiple times to meet with officials there, but this weekend marks their first visit to Kyiv since Trump's reelection last year, DW reported.

Trump had promised to end the war on his first day back in office, and has since said the task proved more complicated than expected. He has previously blamed Ukraine for the Russian invasion and cited a "personality problem" between the two countries' leaders. Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 and currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, per BBC. Putin said Wednesday that negotiations were "frozen," then told an economic forum Thursday that "there are chances" a deal could be reached, while showing no sign of retreating from demands that include further territorial concessions from Ukraine -- terms Kyiv and its European allies have rejected as tantamount to capitulation.

Why it matters

The trip is the most direct American push in months to end Europe's largest war, with implications for U.S. foreign policy, NATO and energy markets. The decision to visit Kyiv as well as Moscow addresses a gap in the envoys' diplomacy to date, since their prior trips went only to Russia. But the two sides remain far apart: Putin has held to maximalist demands, and Ukraine has rejected them. The Friday drone strike on the SBU headquarters, which Sybiha said laid bare Russia's "true rejection of diplomacy," illustrates how fighting continues even as talks resume.

What’s next

The envoys were expected in Moscow on Saturday for talks with Putin, followed by the Sunday meeting with Zelensky in Kyiv. Key unknowns include the contents of the U.S. proposal, which Trump has not detailed, and whether it addresses territorial questions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to preview the meetings, saying Russia would inform reporters once the contacts occur. Watch for whether Russia matches Ukraine's pledge to pause airstrikes during the negotiations.