Trump envoys Witkoff and Kushner plan Russia, Ukraine visits this weekend — Reuters
Photo: Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner (Getty Images)
Trump's special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, may visit Russia and Ukraine as early as September 5–6. However, the visit to Kyiv remains in doubt—according to sources, Moscow is trying to prevent it, Reuters reports.
According to Reuters, citing a source, Witkoff and Kushner will visit Russia and Ukraine on Saturday and Sunday. They last visited Moscow in January, when they held four hours of overnight talks with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.
At the same time, according to the Reuters source, discussions regarding the US negotiators' trip to Ukraine are still ongoing. The parties have mentioned September 6 as a possible date. If the visit takes place, it will be Witkoff and Kushner's first trip to Kyiv.
"The Russians don't want them to visit Kyiv and are trying to make them change the plan," the agency's source says.
Negotiations
There remains a significant gap between Russia and Ukraine in their views on how to end the war.
Putin has repeatedly demanded that Ukraine cede more territory, while the Ukrainian side rejects conditions it considers tantamount to surrender.
The most recent negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, mediated by the US, took place in February—shortly before the US and Israel launched a war against Iran.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded to media reports about a possible visit by Witkoff and Kushner to Moscow. According to Russian media, he declined to confirm the trip.
"I wouldn’t announce anything, but when these contacts take place, we will inform you," Peskov said.
Steve Witkoff is Trump's special envoy, who has already held negotiations with Putin in Moscow on multiple occasions, while Jared Kushner is the US President's son-in-law, who has joined the diplomatic efforts regarding Ukraine.
