Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia and Ukraine this weekend to hold talks aimed at brokering a peace agreement in the ongoing Ukraine war, now in its fourth and a half year [1] [2] [3].
Witkoff and Kushner are scheduled to visit Moscow on Saturday, where they are expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin [1] [2] [3]. They will travel to Kyiv on Sunday for meetings with Ukrainian officials, marking their first visit to Ukraine [2] [3].
Discussions about the Kyiv trip between U.S. and Ukrainian officials had been ongoing for months, with the itinerary only recently confirmed [1] [2]. There is reported resistance from the Russian side against the envoys visiting Kyiv [1] [3].
On the morning of the visit, a Ukrainian lawmaker claimed that a Russian drone struck two Soviet-era passenger planes at Kyiv's Zhulyany airport. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed a fire near the airport. However, Ukrainian officials have not independently verified the drone strike details [3]. Aleksey Goncharenko, a Ukrainian MP, said, "In essence, Putin is sending a signal to the Americans -- I do not want to negotiate and I will not. Otherwise, why this demonstrative strike? It is unclear" [3].
The last US-mediated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in February 2026, before the US and Israel launched a war on Iran [1] [3]. CIA Director John Ratcliffe met Russian intelligence chiefs about 10 days ago to explore diplomatic possibilities ahead of the envoys’ trip [2].
Witkoff and Kushner previously visited Moscow in January 2026 for talks with Putin [1] [3]. The upcoming meetings in Moscow and Kyiv will be closely watched as one of the few direct diplomatic efforts since the conflict began 4½ years ago [1].
