US envoys to visit Russia, Ukraine with plan 'to end war'

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and businessman Steve Witkoff, will visit Russia and Ukraine with a plan to end the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The pair, who have previously served as Trump's envoys to peace efforts in the Middle East and Ukraine, aim to bring an end to the five-year conflict. However, the specific details of the proposed peace plan have not been disclosed by the U.S. president.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Kushner and Witkoff would travel to Ukraine on Sunday, following meetings in Moscow. Despite prior trips to Moscow for discussions with Russian officials, the U.S. envoys have not visited Kyiv since Trump's reelection last year.

Trump had initially pledged to end the war in Ukraine on his first day in office, but has since acknowledged the complexity of the situation, attributing it partly to a "personality problem" between the leaders of the two countries. Zelenskyy proposed a ceasefire during the negotiations and called on Moscow to do the same for safe passage of the envoys. He urged Ukraine to halt airstrikes during the talks, emphasizing the safety of the negotiators over Russia's concerns.

Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to confirm the reports of U.S. officials' visit to Moscow, stating that the media would be informed if such a meeting transpired. The last time Kushner and Witkoff were in Moscow was in January for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who described negotiations as "frozen" at the time.

A recent Russian drone strike on Ukraine's domestic security service headquarters in Kyiv has been described by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha as a "major escalation" of the war. The strike occurred during a renewed push for peace, highlighting Russia's rejection of diplomatic efforts. Zelenskyy has vowed an appropriate response to the strike, mirroring the action if possible.

Both Ukraine and Russia have engaged in retaliatory drone strikes on each other's infrastructure, including oil facilities and retail giant Wildberries.