US Envoys Witkoff and Kushner Arrive in Moscow With Ukraine Peace Proposal

Two of US President Donald Trump's top envoys arrived in Moscow on Saturday carrying what Trump described as 'a proposal to end the war' in Ukraine — a landmark diplomatic mission that has prompted both sides to agree to halt strikes on each other's capitals.

Arrival and first contacts

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner touched down at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport, where they were greeted by Russian official Kirill Dmitriev. Flight tracking data showed a US government plane had travelled from Helsinki, Finland, where it had arrived from the United States earlier in the day.

Photographs released shortly after landing showed Kushner and Witkoff alongside Dmitriev on the tarmac. US news outlet Axios reported that the envoys will separately meet both President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky during the weekend's shuttle diplomacy.

Zelensky confirms 'substantive' talks ahead

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had already spoken to the envoys, who had 'already begun working with the Russian side today.' He confirmed that Kyiv's commitments go beyond a ceasefire in the air: '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.'

Zelensky announced that Ukraine is halting strikes on Moscow from Saturday through Monday and called on Russia to mirror the gesture over Kyiv. Russian state media confirmed that President Putin had ordered the same pause on strikes against Kyiv.

Context of the visit

The mission is a follow-up to a rare visit to Moscow just over a week ago by CIA Director John Ratcliffe — described by Trump as 'semi-routine'. Witkoff and Kushner have visited Russia multiple times before, but Sunday's stop in Kyiv would mark the first time the envoys have met Zelensky on Ukrainian soil.

Both Russia and Ukraine have significantly escalated their aerial campaigns in recent months. Ukraine has struggled to repel attacks due to shortages of interceptor missiles and has focused retaliatory strikes on Russian economic infrastructure. Russia fired demonstrative overnight strikes on Kyiv and Boryspil airports on Friday, which Zelensky said was a deliberate signal ahead of the US delegation's possible use of Ukrainian airspace. A separate Russian strike on a civilian building in the Dnipro region killed four people and injured five others.

Prospects for a breakthrough

Previous talks brokered by the Americans over the past 18 months, including sessions held by delegations from Ukraine in the United States and European consultations in Paris, failed to produce a breakthrough. Key disagreements remain on territorial control and security guarantees for Ukraine.

Trump told reporters he was optimistic about the mission. Critics note that similar optimism has repeatedly preceded stalemates, but the three-day mutual halt on capital strikes is itself an unprecedented gesture from both warring parties since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.