US envoys fly to Russia, then Ukraine with plan 'to end war'

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday to attempt to negotiate an end to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to local media. The duo were greeted at the airport by Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's envoy. Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump announced that Kushner and Witkoff would travel to Moscow and Kyiv with a plan to bring an end to the conflict.

At a press conference on Friday, Trump revealed that he had a peace proposal to share, but did not elaborate on the specifics, including whether it entailed Ukraine ceding territory to Russia. Zelenskyy informed the envoys that they would visit Ukraine on Sunday following their talks with Russian officials. Despite meeting with Russian representatives in Moscow, the US envoys had not visited Kyiv since Trump's re-election last year.

Trump had pledged to conclude the war in Ukraine upon his arrival in office, but has since acknowledged that the objective proved more difficult than anticipated. He has previously attributed the ongoing fighting to Ukraine's actions and a "personality conflict" between the leaders of the two nations. Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine would cease airstrikes during the negotiations and requested that Russia do the same for the safety of the negotiators.

As in past diplomatic visits, Zelenskyy pledged to maintain normal Russian airspace operations to ensure the delegates' security. On Wednesday, Putin stated that negotiations were "frozen." Meanwhile, a Russian drone attack on Ukraine's domestic security service headquarters in Kyiv on Friday was described by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha as a significant escalation of the war.

Putin admitted that the strike occurred during a renewed push for peace, indicating his continued refusal to engage in diplomatic efforts. Zelenskyy vowed to deliver a proportionate and fitting response, mirroring the attack if possible.