US envoys arrive in Moscow ahead of Ukraine talks

US President Donald Trump's top envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, have arrived in Moscow ahead of a weekend of talks aimed at accelerating efforts to end the war in Ukraine. The pair are set to engage in discussions with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before traveling to Kyiv on Sunday for further dialogue.

Trump previously announced that the envoys had a proposal to end the conflict, though previous US attempts to broker a peace deal have not yielded a breakthrough. Axios reported that Witkoff and Kushner would separately meet Putin and Zelensky during their time in Moscow. Upon landing at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport, the envoys were greeted by Russian diplomat Kirill Dmitriev.

This would be the first visit by the US delegation to Kyiv since Trump took office. On Saturday, Zelensky reported that Russia had launched "demonstrative" strikes on airports in Kyiv and Boryspil overnight, a move he claimed was in response to preparations for the US delegation's visit. Meanwhile, Ukraine has been under a state of closed airspace since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

Zelensky pledged to ensure the safety of Russian airspace during the envoys' visit, and requested Russia extend the same courtesy to Ukraine. Earlier this week, the head of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, met with Russian officials in Moscow, but no official details of their discussions were released.