Trump sends envoys to Moscow and Kyiv with new plan to ‘end the war’

Donald Trump is sending Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv with what he called a proposal to end more than four years of war in Ukraine. The trip represents Washington’s latest attempt to break a diplomatic deadlock in Europe’s deadliest conflict since Russia’s full-scale invasion began 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 seeing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Sunday. 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 Witkoff and Kushner would assess whether the negotiations could produce progress. “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 said. He added, “They’re bringing with them a proposal to end the war.”

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

Trump did not say whether the proposal required Ukraine to give up territory, an idea he has previously suggested. He said only that Washington had “an idea for peace.” It would be the first visit to war-torn Kyiv by Witkoff and Kushner since Trump returned to office last year. Both men have taken part in negotiations over ceasefires in Gaza and Iran, and Witkoff has travelled repeatedly to Moscow during earlier diplomatic efforts.

The renewed initiative comes as Russia and Ukraine intensify long-range 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, the first such strike on the headquarters since the invasion. He proposed that Ukraine suspend airstrikes during the envoys’ talks and said Russia should do the same. Russia did not immediately comment.

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We have an idea for peace.

Later, Oleksandr Ganzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, said a Russian strike killed four people and wounded five in the southeastern city of Kamianske.

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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.