Zelensky says Ukraine won’t launch airstrikes against Russia during Witkoff and Kushner’s Moscow visit, and wants the same from Russia during their planned trip to Kyiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured in his evening video address that Kyiv would maintain "normal functioning of Russian airspace" while American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travel to Moscow for talks. The duo is scheduled to visit Moscow first, followed by a trip to Kyiv on Sunday, September 6. Zelensky reiterated that no air strikes would be conducted by Ukraine during the negotiations, emphasizing that their priority is ensuring the safety of the American delegates, not Russia.

Zelensky also called on Russia to suspend its airstrikes during the discussions between Kyiv and Washington. Notably, this is not the first time Witkoff and Kushner have visited Moscow for talks, but they have not yet made it to Kyiv. The American negotiators typically arrive by plane, as previously reported by the Ukrainian news outlet The Kyiv Independent.

Sources have indicated that Witkoff finds train travel challenging, which is one reason American delegations have not yet made the journey to Ukraine. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's skies have been closed, and foreign delegations have traveled to the Ukrainian capital by rail.