Moscow: US special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow for talks on ending the war in Ukraine, as Washington pushes a new peace proposal.
US president Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son in law Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday for talks focused on ending the war in Ukraine, according to people familiar with the visit.
The two US representatives were met at Vnukovo International Airport by Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who has taken part in previous discussions between Moscow and Washington. A motorcade carrying the officials was later seen leaving the airport.
The visit comes after Trump said on Friday that the US had a fresh and concrete proposal aimed at ending the war, now in its fifth year. He did not provide details of the proposal.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the US envoys were expected to travel to Ukraine on Sunday after their meetings in Moscow. Zelenskiy also said Russia had struck two Ukrainian airports ahead of the planned visit.
The talks come amid a wide gap between Moscow and Kyiv over the conditions for ending the conflict. The Kremlin has maintained that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s stated peace terms remain unchanged.
Those terms include Ukraine giving up its claims to four regions occupied and claimed by Russia and abandoning its ambition to join NATO. Kyiv has rejected Russian demands for territorial concessions.
The conflict has also continued to intensify despite diplomatic efforts. Russia and Ukraine have stepped up long range attacks against targets deep inside each other’s territory, while fighting has also expanded at sea.
Russia has made gradual gains along parts of the front, particularly in its efforts to capture the wider Donbas region. Ukraine, meanwhile, has continued drone attacks against Russian energy infrastructure, contributing to fuel shortages and higher prices.
The latest US diplomatic effort comes as both sides face mounting pressure from the prolonged war. Whether Washington can narrow the differences over territory, security guarantees and Ukraine’s future relationship with NATO will be central to any meaningful peace process.
