U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Russia and Ukraine this weekend as part of efforts to broker a peace deal in the war that began with Russia's invasion in February 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed he will meet the envoys on Sunday, following their talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday. President Donald Trump told reporters the envoys are bringing a proposal to end the war, though a gulf remains between the two sides.
Witkoff and Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, have visited Russia multiple times but this will be their first trip to Ukraine since leading the U.S. peace effort. Zelensky said he would guarantee the safety of Russian airspace during the envoys' visit and called for Russia to reciprocate for Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to confirm the visit but said the government would inform reporters when such contacts take place.
Putin told an international economic forum on Thursday that there are chances a peace deal could be reached, saying Moscow and Kyiv must first agree between themselves. He showed no sign of backing down from demands that include additional territorial concessions from Ukraine. Kyiv and its European allies have repeatedly rejected Putin's terms, calling them tantamount to capitulation.
Earlier on Friday, Zelensky said a Russian drone struck the Kyiv office of Oleksandr Poklad, head of the SBU security service. Poklad appeared unharmed. Zelensky said he ordered Poklad to respond adequately to the attack. Russia currently controls about 20 percent of Ukrainian territory.