US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner landed in Moscow on Saturday in a bid to revive negotiations aimed at ending Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as both sides agreed to temporarily halt airstrikes during their visit.
The envoys were greeted at the airport by Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev, a key figure in the Trump administration's efforts to broker an end to the conflict. According to US outlet Axios, Witkoff and Kushner were expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin later in the day. The visit follows President Donald Trump's Friday announcement of a new proposal to end the war, though he provided no specific details about the plan.
Trump's Negotiation Push
Trump, who made ending the war a priority early in his second term, expressed optimism about the mission. "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 Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, announced that Kyiv would suspend its airstrikes during the US officials' visit and urged Moscow to do the same. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Saturday that Putin had ordered a 72-hour pause in strikes on Kyiv.
Wide Gaps Remain
Despite the diplomatic activity, significant differences persist between Russia and Ukraine. On Friday, the Kremlin reiterated its longstanding position that Ukraine should cede four regions claimed by Russia and refrain from joining Nato—conditions that remain unacceptable to Kyiv.
Witkoff and Kushner were scheduled to visit Kyiv on Sunday, marking their first trip to the Ukrainian capital. Both envoys had previously visited Moscow, most recently in January when they met Putin in the Kremlin.
Intensified Conflict
As peace efforts have stalled in recent months, with US attention diverted to its conflict with Iran, fighting has escalated. Ground troops remain locked in a stalemate along the 775-mile (1,250km) frontline, with minimal territorial gains on either side. Both sides have stepped up aerial attacks, targeting increasingly distant objectives.
Ukraine has conducted long-range strikes on Russian military facilities, oil refineries, and e-commerce warehouses to degrade Russia's war capacity and economy. The strikes on oil refineries have caused fuel shortages and rising petrol prices in Russia.
On Friday, a Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), an agency involved in deep-strike operations inside Russia. Zelenskyy vowed retaliation. Russia has also intensified bombardments on Kyiv and other cities, straining Ukraine's air defence systems.
Zelenskyy accused Russia of attempting to disrupt the envoys' visit by striking Kyiv's two airports overnight. "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," Zelenskyy wrote on X. Most officials visiting Ukraine have travelled by train, as Ukrainian airspace has been closed since 2022 due to the war.
Recent Attacks and Casualties
On Friday, Russian overnight strikes killed five people and wounded five others at a factory in the southern Dnipropetrovsk region, according to local military administration head Oleksandr Hanzha. He said the victims were employees "doing their job when enemy missiles cut off their lives."
In a separate attack on the region's Nikopol district, a 62-year-old man was wounded, and several homes and a building were damaged, Hanzha reported. Russia also struck a shopping centre in the southern Mykolaiv region with drones overnight, damaging the building and wounding a 72-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl. Emergency services said they were repeatedly forced to withdraw due to the threat of further strikes.
Ukraine's air force reported that Russia launched ballistic missiles and 167 drones overnight, including jet-powered UAVs, with Ukrainian defences disabling 128 of them. Russia's defence ministry said it had shot down 53 Ukrainian drones overnight.
