Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Moscow and Kyiv this weekend carrying what Trump called "a proposal to end the war" between Russia and Ukraine. The visits are an effort to jump-start peace talks, The Hill reported. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would meet the envoys on Sunday, after their Saturday talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
What did the US president say? Asked about the visits, Trump told reporters: "They are bringing with them a proposal to end the war." Witkoff and Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, have led the US president's efforts to broker a peace deal, but a gulf remains between the two warring sides, the BBC reported. The pair have visited Russia multiple times, but the purported talks will be the first in Ukraine.
How are the visits being arranged? Zelensky said he would guarantee the safety of Russian airspace during the envoys' visit and called for Russia to do the same for Ukraine. Russia's state news agency Tass, in a report cited by the BBC, quoted an unnamed source as saying Witkoff and Kushner were "expected to arrive in Moscow and then to Kyiv... on 5-6 September". Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later told reporters: "I wouldn't announce anything, but when these contacts take place, we will inform you."
What happened to Ukraine's security chief? Zelensky said on Friday that a Russian drone had hit the office of Oleksandr Poklad, head of the SBU security service, in Kyiv. Poklad appears to be unharmed. Zelensky said on social media that he had ordered Poklad to respond "adequately" to the attack.
Where do the two sides stand? Putin told an international economic forum on Thursday that "there are chances" a peace deal could be reached, saying: "First of all, Moscow and Kyiv must agree between themselves." He showed no sign of backing down from demands that included more territorial concessions from Ukraine, the BBC reported. Kyiv and its European allies have repeatedly rejected Putin's terms, saying they are tantamount to capitulation. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and controls about 20% of its territory.
Figures referenced: Donald Trump. — JudgeMarket.
