Trump Envoys Head to Moscow, Kyiv for Talks
Trump Envoys Head to Moscow, Kyiv for Talks
The News
President Trump's special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to travel to Moscow and Kyiv this weekend to press for a diplomatic end to the Russia-Ukraine war, U.S. officials told CNN and Axios on Friday.
Russian state news agency TASS reported the two would visit on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 5 and 6. TASS did not identify its source, and the Kremlin declined to comment, according to Newsmax.
It would be the first visit by Witkoff and Kushner to Kyiv since Trump took office for his second term, Axios reported. MSNBC reported the envoys last visited Moscow in January and have not gone to Kyiv since beginning their diplomatic push.
Timeline
Witkoff and Kushner make their most recent trip to Moscow, MSNBC reported. They do not travel to Kyiv.
The start of a stretch of Russian attacks in which at least 53 people have been killed in Kyiv city and the surrounding region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirms the envoys' planned visit during his nightly address.
TASS reports the Sept. 5-6 dates; Bloomberg, Reuters, CNN and Axios follow. Reuters reports that security concerns are delaying the envoys' trip to Moscow and Kyiv.
The planned stops in Moscow and Kyiv.
Reactions
The Kremlin declined to comment on the TASS report, Newsmax reported.
Zelensky, confirming the trip, said Ukraine would clear its drones from Russian airspace to allow the American diplomats safe passage to Moscow.
The New York Times described the trip as coming at a precarious moment in the conflict. MSNBC framed it as a search for a diplomatic win after months without a breakthrough.
What's Next
No ceasefire framework or negotiating agenda has been made public ahead of the meetings, and neither side has signaled movement on its core demands.
Vladimir Putin has demanded that Kyiv cede large territories, abandon its NATO ambitions and cut the size of its military — terms Ukraine has rejected.
Watch for whether the envoys reach Moscow on schedule given the security concerns Reuters reported, and whether either government publicly shifts position afterward.
More
The talks come as the fighting escalates on both sides. Russia has intensified strikes on Ukrainian cities, with at least 53 people killed in Kyiv city and region since Aug. 27. Ukraine has stepped up long-range strikes deep inside Russia, hitting oil and refining facilities.
Poll
Will the Witkoff-Kushner trip produce a breakthrough?
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