Trump Sends Witkoff and Kushner to Moscow, Then Kyiv, With “An Idea for Peace”

President Donald Trump said Friday he dispatched special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv with a proposal to end the Russia-Ukraine war. The pair arrived in Moscow on Saturday and were met at Vnukovo Airport by Kirill Dmitriev, a special representative of President Vladimir Putin. They are expected to travel to Kyiv on Sunday — their first visit to the Ukrainian capital since Trump returned to office. Trump called them “two great negotiators” and said, “They’re bringing with them a proposal to end the war. … There may be a good chance that we’ll do it.” He added, “We have an idea for peace,” but declined to say whether the plan includes territorial concessions. The Kremlin declined to comment on the itinerary. Reuters reported that Moscow said Putin’s peace terms remain “unshakeable.” No agreement has been announced.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday the envoys would visit Moscow and then Kyiv on Sunday, based on details from the U.S. team. He said Ukraine would not conduct airstrikes on Russia while the Americans were there “so that the negotiators can arrive safely,” adding, “We are looking out for them, not for Russia.” He called on Moscow to match the pause. On Saturday, Zelensky said Russia struck two airports near Kyiv, including Boryspil, ahead of the planned visit. A senior Ukrainian official told AFP the Sunday Kyiv stop was scheduled. Zelensky said the goal was “a visit and negotiations with the American side that are as constructive and substantive as possible” and “realistic options on how to bring this war to an end.”

Witkoff has met Putin regularly since January 2025. Kushner began joining those Moscow sessions later that year. Neither had gone to Kyiv on this assignment. CIA Director John Ratcliffe made an unannounced Moscow trip days earlier. U.S. officials had sought a temporary halt in Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia and Russian missile strikes on Kyiv during the visits. The war is in its fifth year after Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion. Prior U.S.-backed talks stalled earlier in 2026. Outstanding issues reported by officials include control of the Donbas and security guarantees. Trump did not publish the proposal’s text. Witkoff and Kushner left Vnukovo in a motorcade toward the city Saturday morning. Whether they meet Putin in person on Saturday had been reported as the working plan; the White House had not released a readout at the time of their arrival.