US President Donald Trump announced that his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, will head abroad to attempt a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. The two men are expected to arrive in Ukraine on Sunday after visiting Moscow first, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. No details were provided by Trump about the US proposal aimed at ending the war, which is now in its fifth year. Witkoff has previously visited Moscow several times but not yet Ukraine, and Western intelligence officials doubt Russian President Vladimir Putin's willingness to reach a short-term deal.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-04,
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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 +0.15 for article 3963 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-04
Trump says Witkoff, Kushner heading abroad in latest U.S. effort to end Ukraine war
Zelenskyy says U.S. envoys will arrive in Ukraine Sunday after going to Moscow first
asserted
envoys → say → Moscow
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law, are heading abroad to attempt to forge a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, the U.S. president told reporters on Friday.
asserted
president → head → Friday
During comments in the Oval Office, Trump suggested the U.S. had a fresh concrete proposal aimed at ending the war, which is now in its fifth year.
uncertain
which → suggest → year
He did not, however, elaborate on what that proposal would be, nor did he say if Witkoff and Kushner would be travelling to Ukraine, Russia or both countries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday said the two men would fly to Ukraine on Sunday after visiting Moscow.
"We have an idea for peace," Trump said.
asserted
Trump → elaborate → peace
"I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two great negotiators.
asserted
I → send → Witkoff
They've done a great job, and we sent them over to see whether or not we can get something done.
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something → do → them
And there may be a good chance that we'll do it."
Itinerary has been in flux: sources
The duo had been planning to travel to Moscow over the weekend followed by a visit to Kyiv, two sources previously told Reuters.
uncertain
sources → plan → Reuters
However, the itinerary has been in flux in recent days, and the Kyiv section of the journey was still not completely certain, one of the sources said on Friday.
asserted
one → say → Friday
The Trump administration's attempts to settle the war in Ukraine have largely come to nothing, and negotiations stalled out in recent months.
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negotiations → settle → months
In late August, Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe travelled to Moscow in part to press counterparts there to consider a settlement, Reuters and several other media outlets reported.
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Reuters → travel → settlement
Most Western intelligence officials doubt Russian President Vladimir Putin is interested in a short-term deal, while Ukrainian intelligence believes he is in fact likely to escalate, rather than de-escalate the war in the near term.
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he → doubt → term
A Russian drone hit the headquarters of Ukraine's SBU security service in Kyiv on Friday in one of the most high-profile targets struck during the war.
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drone → hit → war
Witkoff, who is effectively the lead U.S. negotiator with respect to the war in Ukraine, has travelled to Moscow numerous times but has not yet visited Ukraine.
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who → travel → Ukraine
