Trump’s Peace Envoys Arrive in Moscow as Russia Bombs Ukraine Airports Overnight

Trump’s Peace Envoys Arrive in Moscow as Russia Bombs Ukraine Airports Overnight

Trump’s special negotiators arrive with a peace proposal as Russian strikes target Kyiv’s airports overnight, prompting Ukraine’s leader to accuse Moscow of trying to derail the diplomatic mission.

US President Donald Trump‘s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner landed in Moscow on Saturday for high-stakes talks aimed at ending more than four years of war in Ukraine. Their plane touched down at Vnukovo Airport at 12:52 pm local time, where they were met by Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who shared photos of the meeting on social media with the caption, “Welcome to Moscow Peacemakers.” The diplomatic push comes as Russian strikes hit Kyiv’s two airports overnight, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accusing Moscow of trying to disrupt the envoys’ visit. Zelensky stated on X that the attacks were “a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the US side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine.” He added there would be “no threats to diplomacy” from the Ukrainian side. The Russian strikes were “demonstrative,” Zelensky said, and targeted both Kyiv and Boryspil airports “for the first time in a while.”

Trump described Witkoff and Kushner as “two great negotiators” and confirmed they are bringing “a proposal to end the war.” However, he declined to say whether the plan involves Ukraine ceding territory, adding only: “We have an idea for peace.” The visit marks the first trip to Kyiv by Witkoff and Kushner since Trump returned to office last year and promised to bring the war to an end. Both envoys have made several trips to Moscow, with their last visit taking place on January 22, when they held four hours of late-night talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. After their talks in Moscow, the envoys are expected to travel to Kyiv on Sunday. This would be an unusual move, as Ukrainian airspace has been closed since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, with foreign leaders typically traveling to Kyiv by train from Poland. However, plans for the delegation to arrive by plane have been thrown into doubt. A Ukrainian lawmaker, Aleksey Goncharenko, said two old Soviet Yak-40 passenger planes were struck at Zhulyany airport, suggesting the strike was intended as a “signal” to Washington ahead of the visit. A source told Reuters that discussions on the Ukraine portion of the trip were still ongoing, adding: “The Russians don’t want them to visit Kyiv and are trying to make them change the plan.”

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Zelensky reported that Russia struck both Kyiv and Boryspil airports overnight, describing the attacks as “deliberate” and “for the first time in a while.” Separately, a Russian strike on a civilian target in the Dnipro region killed four people and wounded five in the southeastern city of Kamianske. Russian forces also struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s SBU security service in central Kyiv on Friday, with Zelensky stating the attack was aimed at the office of the agency’s acting chief. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga described the incident as a “major escalation.” Despite the attacks, Zelensky proposed observing a ceasefire with Russia for the duration of the US envoys’ trip. “There will be no airstrikes on our part, and Russia must reciprocally ensure a ceasefire — without its own airstrikes — for the duration needed to conduct these talks,” he said in his evening address. In what may be a partial response to that proposal, Putin ordered a 72-hour pause in strikes on Kyiv starting at midnight Saturday, the Kremlin announced. “Putin has ordered that no strikes be carried out against Kyiv for three days,” presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Tass, tying the decision to preparations for the envoys’ planned visit to the Ukrainian capital.

The renewed push for diplomacy comes as Russia and Ukraine intensify long-range missile and drone attacks, driving up civilian casualties to levels not seen since the start of the conflict. Peace efforts have stalled in part because of Washington’s war with Iran. Moscow and Kyiv last held peace negotiations under US mediation earlier this year, when they held three rounds of peace talks in January and February. Negotiations have since been paused. Russian officials have signaled they are not in the mood for compromise. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told state media that “the US administration must take into account the realities on the ground,” where the situation is changing not in Kyiv’s favor. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the position that Putin set out two years ago – that Ukraine should cede the entire territory of four regions claimed by Russia and abandon its plan to join NATO – was “unshakeable.” Putin himself said on Thursday there was a chance of reaching an agreement to end the war, but he added that Kyiv’s warning to foreign airlines to avoid Russian airspace amounted to a threat that would make talks more difficult. This is not the first attempt at diplomacy. Witkoff and Kushner have traveled repeatedly to Moscow in previous efforts, including three rounds of US-mediated talks earlier this year in Abu Dhabi and Geneva. Their latest effort comes more than a week after a rare visit to Moscow by CIA director John Ratcliffe, who warned Russia against any attack on NATO member states, according to US media. Earlier this week, the United States welcomed the Russian finance minister at a G20 gathering in North Carolina.

Trump’s Peace Envoys Arrive in Moscow as Russia Bombs Ukraine Airports Overnight