Trump envoys arrive in Moscow ahead of Ukraine talks, reports say

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow ahead of talks on Ukraine, with their planned visit to Kyiv on Sunday carrying an immediate security complication. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched “demonstrative” strikes on airports in Kyiv and Boryspil overnight before his planned meeting with the US side.

Zelenskyy said the strikes were a reaction to preparations for the possibility of a US aircraft flying to Ukraine and landing at Kyiv Airport or Boryspil Airport. Ukraine has kept its airspace closed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The Ukrainian president said on Friday that he would guarantee the safety of Russian airspace during the envoys' visit and called on Moscow to offer the same protection for Ukraine. He also said a Russian overnight strike on a civilian building in the Dnipro region killed four people and injured five.

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Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the US side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine and land at Kyiv Airport or Boryspil Airport.

Witkoff and Kushner have travelled to Moscow several times since Donald Trump returned to office, but Sunday would be their first visit to Kyiv. Their trip follows a rare Moscow visit by CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Washington and the Kremlin did not comment officially on what was discussed, while Trump described that meeting as “semi-routine.”

Last year, the United States, Ukraine and Russia separately suggested that a deal might be nearing after a series of US-brokered talks. European allies also held discussions in Paris, but no breakthrough followed. Territory and security guarantees for Ukraine remain major disputes. Russia and Ukraine have intensified their air attacks in recent months, while Ukraine says it lacks enough interceptor missiles and has focused strikes on Russian economic infrastructure.

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semi-routine