US Envoys to Carry Peace Proposal to Moscow and Kyiv

US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Moscow and Kyiv this weekend with a proposal aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, "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 also said the proposal was not new.

The pair are expected in Moscow on Saturday before heading to Kyiv on Sunday, in what will be their first visits to the Ukrainian capital since Trump returned to the White House in January last year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the planned visit in a post on X, writing, "We need to look for real options for how to move this war toward an end. We will see what proposals Steve and Jared bring and what they are told in Moscow in response."

Zelenskyy said Ukraine would halt air attacks during Witkoff and Kushner's visit and urged Moscow to do the same. "Just as we did during previous diplomatic visits by the American side, we will ensure the normal functioning of Russian airspace so that the negotiators can arrive safely," he said in a social media post. "There will be no airstrikes from our side, and Russia must do the same, ensuring there are no airstrikes from its side for the time needed to hold these talks and handle the logistical matters related to this American visit."

Overnight Attacks and Casualties

The announcement came amid continued hostilities. Russian attacks killed four people in Ukraine overnight, according to multiple reports. The dead included four people killed and five wounded at an industrial facility in the southern Dnipropetrovsk region, according to local military administration head Oleksandr Hanzha. Russia's Ministry of Defense said it had carried out strikes on two metallurgical plants in the region, describing them as "major suppliers of metal products for Ukraine's military production."

Two more people were wounded in an overnight Russian attack on Ukraine's Kyiv region, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the regional military administration. Russian forces also repeatedly struck a shopping center in the southern Mykolaiv region with drones, damaging retail premises and sparking fires, according to Ukraine's state emergency services. A 72-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl were hurt in the Mykolaiv shopping center attack.

Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russia launched ballistic missiles from its Rostov and Voronezh regions and deployed 167 attack drones overnight. The drones included Shahed-type aircraft, around half of them jet-powered, as well as Geran and decoy drones.

Ukrainian attacks also wounded three people, including a 14-year-old girl, in Russia's border region of Belgorod, according to local officials.

Zelenskyy on Airport Strikes

In a separate development, Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Russia had struck airports in Kyiv and Boryspil overnight ahead of the planned US envoys' visit. He described the strikes as "demonstrative" and "deliberate," linking them to preparations for the American delegation's possible arrival by aircraft. "Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the U.S. side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine and land at Kyiv Airport or Boryspil Airport," Zelenskyy said.

He also announced that a Russian drone had hit the headquarters of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) in central Kyiv, saying it had been "aimed directly" at the head of the agency's office. Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine would adjust its operations in Russian airspace, saying, "Russian-Iranian 'shaheds' in response to American diplomacy. We have taken note of this Russian move, and next week we will adjust our operation accordingly regarding Russian airspace." At the same time, he stressed, "Of course, there are and will be no threats to diplomacy from our side. Ukraine is interested in bringing peace closer."

Background

The trip by Witkoff and Kushner comes after a December 2025 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that lasted five hours and was characterized as "constructive" by a Russian official, but did not lead to a breakthrough. In September 2025, Trump told CBS News he was committed to pursuing a peace deal and vowed to "get it done," saying, "Something is going to happen, but they are not ready yet. But something is going to happen." However, peace efforts appeared to have stalled after the US launched an attack on Iran in February, triggering a war that has lasted for more than six months, according to CBS News.

The renewed push for diplomacy comes as Russia and Ukraine continue to exchange long-range missile and drone attacks, with the air war intensifying along the roughly 1,250-kilometer front line, as reported by multiple outlets.