A New Peace Bid: Trump Sends Envoys to Kyiv and Moscow, Saying There Is a Strong Chance of Success

Donald Trump is sending Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to Moscow and Kyiv with what he described as a new idea for peace in Ukraine. The U.S. president said the two envoys would assess whether an agreement could be reached, adding that there was a strong chance of success.

“We have an idea for peace,” Trump told journalists on Friday, September 4, according to CBS. He praised Witkoff and Kushner as very good negotiators and said they had already done excellent work. Trump also said he had discussed the matter with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but that the two sides were not yet ready.

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We have an idea for peace. I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two very good negotiators. They have done an excellent job and I sent them to see if we can reach an agreement. And there is a strong chance we will succeed.

Zelenskyy said on social media that he was preparing to receive the American envoys on Sunday. He promised that Ukraine would not attack Russia while Witkoff and Kushner were in the country, and said Kyiv wanted their visit and talks with the U.S. side to be constructive and substantial.

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Our objective is for the visit and talks with the American side to be as constructive and substantial as possible. We must seek real solutions to end this war.

The trip will mark Witkoff and Kushner’s first visit to Ukraine since Trump returned to the White House with a promise to end the conflict. In December 2025, the two men held five hours of talks with Putin. A Russian official called those discussions constructive, but they ultimately produced no breakthrough.

At the same time, several explosions were reported near Iran’s Kharg Island, which hosts the country’s main oil terminal. Iran’s Fars news agency said no smoke was seen, while local media reported that a U.S. attack may have targeted an Iranian tanker near the island. Iranian and U.S. authorities did not comment. Tehran continues to block the Strait of Hormuz, while Washington maintains a blockade of Iranian ports. Iran said Thursday that its forces had struck U.S. military bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, promising retaliation for a deadly attack on a wedding that it blamed on the United States.

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I discussed this with President Putin and President Zelenskyy. Something will happen, but they are not ready yet. But something will happen.