Trump's envoys Witkoff and Kushner to visit Moscow and Kyiv this weekend carrying war-ending proposal

Why it matters

The trip would be the first by Trump's special envoys to Kyiv during his current presidency and could shape the next phase of US-led peace efforts. Zelensky's unilateral pledge not to strike Russia during the visit, paired with an appeal for reciprocal silence, opens a fragile de-escalation window at the front and in the air. Trump's public confirmation that the envoys are carrying a concrete war-ending proposal raises the stakes for both the Moscow and Kyiv meetings, while reporting that the Kyiv leg was, at one point on September 4, in question underscores how contested the trip's shape remained even hours before departure.

What happened

On the evening of 4 September 2026, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed in his evening address that US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — special envoy and US Special Envoy for Peace (and Trump's son-in-law) respectively — would visit Moscow on Saturday 5 September and Kyiv on Sunday 6 September. Zelensky said the information about the visit had come from the team of US President Donald Trump. He pledged that Ukraine would ensure the normal functioning of Russian airspace and would not carry out air strikes during the visit, and called on Russia to mirror the restraint by refraining from strikes of its own. Zelensky framed Ukraine's goal as 'a maximally constructive and substantive' meeting to find real options to end the war. Earlier the same day, Trump told reporters at the White House that the envoys were bringing a proposal to end the war, without disclosing details; he also said Putin does not intend to attack NATO territory and attributed the lack of progress to personal animosity between Zelensky and Putin. Ukrainian media reported that Ukraine's broader diplomatic team working with the US held a preparatory meeting, and that Zelensky had spoken with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte ahead of the visit. Ukrainian Defense Forces units were reportedly ordered to observe a ceasefire silence along the line of contact from 00:00 on 5 September until 23:59 on 8 September.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

Ukrainian coverage frames the trip as a long-overdue step, emphasizing Zelensky's confirmation in his evening address and presenting Ukraine's no-strike pledge as a voluntary diplomatic gesture paired with a reciprocal appeal to Moscow. Ukrainian outlets foreground Zelensky's stated goal of a 'maximally constructive and substantive' meeting and his line 'We care about them, not about Russia,' portraying Kyiv as ready for substantive talks. They highlight diplomatic preparations — a meeting of Ukraine's broader team working with the US — and Zelensky's consultations with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Coverage also notes the long history of postponements, including a planned Kyiv leg around Independence Day on 24 August postponed after intensified Russian strikes, and Zelensky's earlier public criticism of the envoys' repeated trips to Moscow without a corresponding visit to Ukraine. Some Ukrainian pieces run the trip alongside news of a 4 September Russian drone strike on the SBU building in Kyiv and quote Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha calling on partners to increase pressure on Russia and on the US House of Representatives to pass a Russia sanctions bill.

How international sources describe it

International outlets, including Axios, The New York Times, The Kyiv Independent, and the Financial Times, stress that the US side — per US officials — demanded Ukraine stop drone attacks on Moscow and on Russian energy infrastructure, and that Russia in turn halt missile strikes on Kyiv during the visit: a more transactional framing of the same air-silence arrangement Kyiv presented as a voluntary pledge. They highlight that the trip had wavered for weeks and that the Kyiv leg was, at one point on September 4, in question due to Witkoff's safety concerns amid Russian attacks, with sources quoted as saying 'the Russians do not want them here.' International reporting features Trump's own characterization of the mission — Witkoff and Kushner as 'two great'/'wonderful negotiators,' a 'good chance' of success, Zelensky and Putin 'really hate each other,' and his claim that Putin does not intend to attack NATO territory — and notes Trump did not disclose the contents of the 'proposal to end the war' and joked he has ended eight wars without receiving a Nobel Peace Prize. Some pieces flag a parallel intelligence track: CIA Director Ratcliffe's unannounced Moscow visit on 25 August and NYT-sourced reporting that US–Russian intelligence channels operate alongside the Witkoff–Kushner channel.

Where reporting differs

Sources disagree on whether the Kyiv leg was ever genuinely in doubt. The Kyiv Independent, citing sources, reported on 4 September that the planned 5–6 September Kyiv visit was in question because of Witkoff's safety concerns amid Russian attacks, with a source saying 'the Russians do not want them to come here, to Kyiv, and Witkoff always sensitively reacts to the moods of the Russians'; a Financial Times correspondent reported the envoys had wavered for weeks over whether to go to Kyiv at all. Zelensky's confirmation on the evening of 4 September indicated the visits were going ahead, though he did not publicly rebut the alternative-plan reports.

Sources also frame the air-silence arrangement differently. Zelensky described it as a Ukrainian voluntary pledge to ensure 'normal functioning of Russian airspace' and not strike during the visit while calling on Russia to mirror the restraint. The New York Times, citing US officials, framed it as a US demand that Ukraine stop drone attacks on Moscow and Russian energy infrastructure and that Russia in turn halt missile strikes on Kyiv — a more coercive characterization of the same arrangement.

Trump and Zelensky also described the underlying standoff from opposite angles: Trump said Zelensky and Putin 'hate each other' / 'really hate each other,' citing personal animosity as the obstacle, while Zelensky framed the goal as a 'maximally constructive and substantive' search for real options to end the war.

Background

Witkoff met Putin personally five times in Russia in 2025 and twice jointly with Kushner, the most recent such meeting reported in January 2026; the US negotiators had not previously visited Ukraine during Trump's current presidency. CIA Director Ratcliffe made an unannounced visit to Moscow on 25 August — the first such US intelligence chief visit in five years — operating in parallel channels separate from the Witkoff–Kushner track. Earlier Kyiv trips planned for April and around Ukraine's Independence Day on 24 August were repeatedly postponed, including because of intensified Russian strikes on the capital. On 1 September Zelensky announced a blockade of Russian airspace in response to Russian strikes, while still pledging to clear Russian skies of drones for defined intervals and directions to enable negotiations. Ukrainian Defense Forces units were reportedly ordered to observe a ceasefire silence at the line of contact from 00:00 on 5 September until 23:59 on 8 September.