Trump Envoys Arrive in Moscow for Putin Talks on Ukraine War

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday for talks aimed at restarting negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, with a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin expected before the pair travel to Kyiv.

The visit marks a renewed diplomatic push after U.S.-mediated negotiations between Russia and Ukraine stalled in mid-February, shortly before Washington's attention shifted heavily toward the war with Iran.

Trump said Friday that Witkoff and Kushner were carrying "a proposal to end the war," according to Axios reporter Barak Ravid.

The two envoys met Trump at the White House on Thursday to discuss the mission before traveling to Russia.

After their Moscow talks, they are expected to travel to Kyiv on Sunday to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and brief him on the outcome of discussions with Putin.

Axios reported that the Kyiv visit has been under discussion between U.S. and Ukrainian officials for months and was repeatedly reconsidered in recent days before being finalized.

Diplomacy Returns Amid Deep Skepticism

The mission comes 10 days after CIA Director John Ratcliffe met senior Russian intelligence and security officials in Moscow.

According to Axios, Ratcliffe sought to assess whether Russia's security leadership could influence Putin toward a diplomatic effort to end the conflict.

Witkoff and Kushner have also held separate discussions with Russian and Ukrainian representatives in recent months, but those contacts have produced little visible progress.

Ukrainian officials remain deeply skeptical of Moscow's intentions.

Ravid reported that Ukrainian officials believe intelligence points to preparations for a possible major Russian escalation. Zelensky's deputy chief of staff, Pavlo Palisa, said Putin had ordered preparations for several possible offensive scenarios in northern Ukraine, including operations involving Kyiv and Chernihiv.

Russia has also rejected previous Trump administration proposals for a trilateral summit involving Trump, Putin and Zelensky.

Associated Press reporter Samya Kullab noted that the wider diplomatic effort is unfolding while the military conflict remains intense and the front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine remain largely deadlocked.

Russian Strikes Shadow US Mission

The diplomatic push has been complicated further by fresh Russian strikes on Ukraine.

AFP reported Saturday that Russian attacks hit civilian targets including Kyiv's two airports shortly before the expected arrival of the U.S. envoys.

Zelensky said the strikes appeared connected to preparations for the possible arrival of an American aircraft.

"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," he said on X, according to AFP.

He added that Ukraine would create "no threats to diplomacy."

Kullab reported separately that a Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine's Security Service, or SBU, in central Kyiv on Friday, wounding 12 people according to local authorities.

Zelensky said the drone deliberately targeted the head of the SBU office in the building.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the attack as a "major escalation" occurring just as diplomatic activity was gaining momentum.

Russia also launched attacks in the Odesa region, where one person was killed and at least five others wounded, while strikes elsewhere killed two police officers in Dnipro, according to AP.

Zelensky said Ukraine would refrain from airstrikes during the U.S. diplomatic visit and called on Russia to reciprocate to ensure the envoys could travel safely.

Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to publicly confirm reports of the Moscow visit, saying Russian authorities would announce a meeting if one took place.

The current mission represents one of Washington's most significant attempts in months to revive negotiations.

Its immediate test will come in Moscow: whether Putin is prepared to engage with the U.S. proposal and whether the positions conveyed by Witkoff and Kushner can narrow the gap sufficiently for talks to resume with Kyiv.

Their planned Sunday meeting with Zelensky will then indicate whether the latest Trump initiative has produced any basis for renewed negotiations, or merely exposed how far apart the two sides remain.