Die Lage im Überblick: Vorstoß zu Ende des Ukraine-Kriegs? Trump schickt Vermittler
Die US-Unterhändler Witkoff und Kushner sollen erst nach Moskau und dann nach Kiew reisen. Nehmen die lange brachliegenden Verhandlungen über ein Ende des russischen Angriffskriegs wieder Fahrt auf?
Recent developments in the Ukraine-Krieg negotiations suggest progress could be made with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner's mediation. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a weekend visit from Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who would first visit Moscow and then arrive in Kiev on Sunday.
Media reports of a ceasefire initiated on the weekend remained unconfirmed, and the Russian side remained tight-lipped. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskow responded through the Russian news agency Tass, stating that he would not announce anything and that if contacts occurred, they would inform everyone. Trump confirmed to reporters that he had sent his two negotiators, without providing specific dates.
They were tasked with presenting a proposal to end the Ukraine-Krieg, though he did not disclose details. As with previous US mediation attempts in the conflict, optimism persisted but no breakthrough was achieved, despite Trump's earlier claim that he could end the war within 24 hours. Zelensky vowed to forgo Ukrainian air strikes, stating that Ukraine would ensure the safety of Russian airspace for the negotiators, with no expected Ukrainian aerial assaults.
The hope was that Russia would reciprocate. However, on Saturday night, a new missile alarm and reports of explosions in the Kiew metropolitan area emerged, following unconfirmed reports that the two US mediators intended to meet first with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin in Moscow, followed by Zelensky in Kiev. According to the "New York Times", negotiations regarding the trip had dragged on for weeks, with the US government insisting Ukraine suspend its drone attacks on Moscow and Russian energy infrastructure while Trump's negotiators remained in Russia.
Witkoff and Kushner were responsible for efforts to end the war in the Trump administration, having visited Moscow multiple times since 2025 but never Kiev. In recent months, talks had stalled as Trump focused on his war in Iran, resuming only in February when direct talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in Switzerland as mediators.
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