US President Donald Trump is sending special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv with a new proposal aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war, marking a renewed American effort to restart peace negotiations after months without a breakthrough.
Trump confirmed the mission on Friday, saying the two negotiators would take a US proposal to both Russia and Ukraine and assess whether the two sides could move towards an agreement.
“We have an idea for peace,” Trump told reporters, adding that Witkoff and Kushner were bringing “a proposal to end the war.” He did not publicly disclose the terms of the plan.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the American envoys were expected to visit Moscow before travelling to Kyiv on Sunday. Zelenskyy had spoken with Witkoff and Kushner earlier in the week in what he described as a “detailed and constructive” conversation about the battlefield situation and prospects for renewed diplomacy.
However, the precise timetable remains uncertain because Washington is seeking security assurances from both sides before the visits. The United States has sought guarantees that Ukraine will refrain from striking Moscow while the envoys are there and that Russia will avoid attacks on Kyiv during their visit.
The security concerns have become more pressing after a Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine's SBU security service in central Kyiv on Friday, injuring at least 12 people. The strike came amid an intensifying exchange of long-range attacks between Russia and Ukraine.
Zelenskyy has called for a temporary halt to air strikes during the diplomatic mission and urged Moscow to reciprocate. Ukrainian forces were also reportedly ordered to halt fighting between September 5 and 8, although Kyiv has not publicly provided full details of the reported order.
The latest initiative follows months of stalled US-mediated diplomacy. The last round of American-brokered negotiations took place in February, before Washington's attention shifted towards the conflict involving Iran. Significant differences between Moscow and Kyiv remain unresolved.
Russia continues to demand territorial concessions from Ukraine and an abandonment of Kyiv's ambitions to join NATO. Ukraine has rejected such conditions as effectively amounting to surrender and insists that any settlement must include credible security guarantees against another Russian attack.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent mixed signals about the prospects for negotiations. Earlier this week, he described Ukraine's leadership as “terrorists” and said Moscow would not negotiate with them. Days later, however, Putin said there was still a chance of reaching an agreement and acknowledged that the United States and other countries could assist in finding a settlement.
Witkoff and Kushner have played central roles in Trump's efforts to negotiate with Moscow. The pair previously met Putin in Russia during earlier rounds of diplomacy, although their upcoming trip would mark their first visit to Ukraine together as part of the peace effort.
The new mission therefore represents an attempt to revive negotiations at a time when diplomacy has stalled but fighting has intensified. Whether Trump's undisclosed proposal can bridge the fundamental differences over territory, security guarantees and Ukraine's future relationship with NATO remains uncertain.
