Trump's envoys Witkoff and Kushner visit Moscow in latest push to end war in Ukraine
Russia and Ukraine agreed on Saturday to pause strikes on each other's capitals during visits from President Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the latest effort to end the war between the two countries.
Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday, where they met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. At the start of the meeting in Moscow, Putin asked Kushner and Witkoff to pass on his warm wishes and gratitude to Mr. Trump, and described the situation in Ukraine as "not simple."
Russian forces launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
"(Russian President Vladimir) Putin has ordered that no strikes be carried out against Kyiv for three days, starting at midnight today," presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russia's Tass news agency, saying the decision was tied to Witkoff and Kushner's planned visit to the Ukrainian capital, which Kyiv has said will take place on Sunday.
Zelenskyy said that Ukraine was prepared to halt strikes on Moscow until Monday. He said he spoke on Saturday afternoon with the U.S. delegation after they arrived in Moscow.
"From now through the end of Saturday, as well as on Sunday and Monday, Ukraine is ready to refrain from strikes on Moscow, and we expect the Russians to do the same regarding Kyiv," he said. He had urged Russia on Friday to reciprocate the halt in airstrikes.
The U.S. envoys were met at the airport in Moscow by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, Tass reported. Dmitriev shared photos of him meeting with the U.S. delegation as they disembarked, alongside the caption, "Welcome to Moscow Peacemakers."
Mr. Trump told reporters on Friday he had sent the envoys with a proposal to end the conflict, which began in 2022 when Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The envoys were met at the airport by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's state news agency Tass said.
"We have an idea for peace," Mr. Trump told reporters on Friday. "I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two great negotiators. They've done a great job, and we sent them over to see whether or not we can get something done. And there may be a good chance that we'll do it."
The trip marked the first time Mr. Trump's envoy Witkoff and son-in-law Kushner traveled to Ukraine since the president returned to office with a pledge to resolve the conflict. In December 2025, the duo met with Russian President Vladimir Putin for five hours in talks that were characterized as "constructive" by a Russian official, but that ultimately did not lead to a breakthrough.
In September 2025, the president told CBS News he was committed to pursuing a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine and vowed to "get it done."
"I've been talking about it with President Putin and President Zelenskyy," Mr. Trump said in a phone interview at the time. "Something is going to happen, but they are not ready yet. But something is going to happen."
However, peace efforts appeared to have stalled after the U.S. launched an attack on Iran in February, triggering a war that has lasted for more than six months.
The renewed push for diplomacy comes as Russia and Ukraine pummel each other with long-range missile and drone attacks.
Just hours before Mr. Trump's announcement, a Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine's SBU security service in central Kyiv, according to Zelenskyy.
The strike, which Zelenskyy said was aimed at the office of the agency's acting chief, was the first on its headquarters since the start of the invasion.
