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Donald Trump is sending Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv with what he described as a proposal to end the war in Ukraine. The move represents Washington’s latest attempt to break a diplomatic deadlock in Europe’s deadliest conflict since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

A senior Ukrainian official told AFP that the envoys were due in Kyiv on Sunday. Axios reported they would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday before meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv the following day. The Kremlin declined to comment.

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I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two great negotiators. They've done a great job, and we sent them over to see whether or not we can get something done. And there may be a good chance that we'll do it.

Trump said the negotiators would assess whether peace was possible. “I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two great negotiators. They've done a great job, and we sent them over to see whether or not we can get something done. And there may be a good chance that we'll do it,” he told reporters. He said they were carrying “a proposal to end the war,” but declined to say whether it included Ukraine ceding territory, as he has previously suggested.

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They're bringing with them a proposal to end the war.

The visit comes as Russia and Ukraine intensify missile and drone attacks. Hours before Trump’s announcement, Zelenskyy said a Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s SBU security service in central Kyiv, apparently targeting the agency’s acting chief. He proposed a ceasefire for the duration of the envoys’ visit, saying Ukraine would halt airstrikes if Russia did the same. Russia did not immediately respond.

Later, Oleksandr Ganzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, said a Russian strike killed four people and wounded five in Kamianske. Witkoff and Kushner have previously taken part in negotiations involving ceasefires in Gaza and Iran, and Witkoff has made repeated trips to Moscow during earlier diplomatic efforts.

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There will be no airstrikes on our part, and Russia must reciprocally ensure a ceasefire, without its own airstrikes, for the duration needed to conduct these talks.