Trump says Witkoff and Kushner are taking Moscow and Kyiv a proposal to end the war

Donald Trump says Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are heading to Moscow and Kyiv with a proposal to end the war in Ukraine. Speaking to journalists in the White House Oval Office, the U.S. president said the envoys were sent to see whether progress could be made.

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They are bringing with them a proposal to end the war.

“They are bringing with them a proposal to end the war,” Trump said. “We sent them there to see if we can achieve something, and perhaps we have pretty good chances of success.” He called Witkoff and Kushner “excellent negotiators” who had already done “outstanding work.” Asked whether the proposal was new, Trump replied, “No.”

Axios reported that the two envoys were expected to arrive in Moscow on Sept. 5 for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin before traveling to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. A TASS source put the planned visit to Russia and Ukraine at Sept. 5-6. Before the trip, Washington asked Moscow and Kyiv to reduce military activity. The New York Times reported that the United States asked Ukraine to temporarily halt drone attacks on Moscow and energy facilities, while Russia was asked to refrain from strikes on targets in Kyiv.

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We sent them there to see if we can achieve something, and perhaps we have pretty good chances of success.

The visit had been discussed earlier. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov spoke about a possible trip, saying in June that Trump and Putin had agreed on one. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later called the American envoys welcome guests but said the exact date had not been set.

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excellent negotiators

The positions of the two sides remain far apart. Putin has said Russia is ready to cease fire and begin negotiations if Ukrainian troops withdraw from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, and Kyiv formally rejects NATO membership. Moscow also seeks recognition of Crimea, Sevastopol and the four regions as part of Russia, along with the lifting of sanctions. Putin has said Russia is moving toward ending the conflict, while calling some peace initiatives unacceptable. Peskov has said there are currently no grounds for optimism about a settlement.

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outstanding work