US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Moscow on Saturday and meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, followed by talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday. According to Trump, the envoys are bringing a proposal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. The visits come as efforts to broker a peace deal appear to be gathering pace, with Putin saying "there are chances" of a deal being reached, but stopping short of backing down from his demands for territorial concessions. Witkoff and Kushner have visited Russia multiple times before, but this will be their first visit to Ukraine.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-04,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
US President Donald Trump has announced that his special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, will travel to Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend to attempt to revive peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
The envoys are bringing a proposal to end the war, which is now in its fifth year, but details of the plan have not been revealed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed that he will meet with Witkoff and Kushner on Sunday after they visit Moscow on Saturday.
Trump told reporters that Witkoff and Kushner are "two great negotiators" who have done a good job, and that there is a chance for peace talks to be successful. However, the itinerary has been in flux, and it was previously reported that Witkoff had concerns about traveling to Kyiv due to Russian warnings.
Meanwhile, Trump also stated that the US will ask European nations to pay back the cost of military aid sent to Ukraine, which he claims is in the hundreds of billions of dollars. This move appears to be a shift in policy, as previous administrations have provided this aid free of charge.
Written for “US Effort to End Ukraine War” on 2026-09-05,
grounded in this article and the 6 other(s) covering the same event.
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Leaning score -0.35 for article 3842 (medium confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-04
- Published
US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia and Ukraine this weekend, as efforts to end the war appear to be gathering pace.
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efforts → publish → pace
Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed he will meet with the envoys on Sunday, after they visit Moscow on Saturday to hold talks with meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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they → confirm → Putin
Witkoff and Kushner have led US President Donald Trump's efforts to broker a peace deal, but a gulf remains between the two warring sides.
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gulf → lead → sides
"They are bringing with them a proposal to end the war," Trump told reporters when asked about the visits.
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Trump → bring → visits
Earlier on Friday, Zelensky said a Russian drone hit the office of Ukraine's security chief Oleksandr Poklad in Kyiv.
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drone → say → Kyiv
Poklad appears to be unharmed.
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Poklad → appear → ?
In a post on social media, Zelensky said he had ordered Poklad, who head the SBU security service, to respond "adequately" to the attack.
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who → say → attack
Witkoff and Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, have visited Russia multiple times, but the purported talks will be the first in Ukraine.
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talks → visit → Ukraine
Zelensky said he would guarantee the safety of Russian airspace during the envoys' visit and called for Russia to do the same for Ukraine.
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Russia → say → Ukraine
Russia's state news agency Tass said Witkoff and Kushner were "expected to arrive in Moscow and then to Kyiv... on 5-6 September", quoting a source.
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Witkoff → say → source
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later told reporters: "I wouldn't announce anything, but when these contacts take place, we will inform you."
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we → tell → you
Meanwhile, Putin told an international economic forum on Thursday that "there are chances" a peace deal could be reached.
uncertain
deal → tell → Thursday
"First of all, Moscow and Kyiv must agree between themselves," he said.
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he → agree → themselves
But he showed no sign of backing down from his maximalist demands, which included more territorial concessions from Ukraine.
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which → show → Ukraine
Kyiv and its European allies have repeatedly rejected Putin's terms saying they are tantamount to capitulation.
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they → reject → capitulation
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and currently controls about 20% of its territory.
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Russia → launch → territory
