Vermittlungsmission: US-Unterhändler für Gespräche über Ukraine-Krieg in Moskau

In a recent effort to revive mediation talks aimed at ending the Ukraine conflict, US-Undersecretaries Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The kremlin spokesperson, Dmitri Peskow, confirmed the planned meeting. They are scheduled to visit Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, for the first time on Sunday as part of their mediation mission.

President Trump confirmed to reporters that he had sent his two envoys to negotiate a peace proposal, though he did not disclose any details. As with previous US mediation attempts, the Republican leader expressed optimism that a breakthrough could be achieved, despite no such progress thus far. Despite former claims by Trump to end the war within 24 hours, neither Moscow nor Kyiv have shown much optimism.

CIS spokesman Peskow stated on Friday that conditions for a ceasefire have not been met. Kyiv's President Volodymyr Selenskyj's chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanow, also does not expect the war to end before early 2027, as Russia is expected to continue targeting Ukraine with strategic bombings throughout the winter. Both sides are currently concentrating on military escalation, with Putin's ultimate aim being the total annexation of the industrial Donbass region in eastern Ukraine, while Ukraine's forces refuse to capture the remaining Donetsk territory.

In response, Russia is employing a new tactic of daily drone attacks to disrupt life in Kyiv, while Ukraine continues to bomb the oil industry and online vendors in the Russian backwater, aiming to weaken the enemy's economy and increase war fatigue among the population. However, a period of relative Ukrainian military strength has reportedly come to an end after months of relative military strength.

Experts believe that this phase is concluding. On the eve of Witkoff and Kushner's expected visit to Kyiv, Selenskyj announced his intention to ensure the safety of Russian airspace, so the negotiators could arrive safely. He also promised that Ukraine would not carry out any air strikes during this period. Putin ordered a three-day halt in air attacks on Kyiv at the beginning of the day on Sunday, according to Peskow.

On the night of Saturday, four people were killed in a Russian air attack on the town of Kamjanske in southern Dnipropetrowsk. Selenskyj accused Russian forces of deliberately bombing the Kiew airports of Schuljany and Boryspil in the night leading up to Witkoff's arrival. The US government, distracted by the Iran war, had previously put the Ukraine peace talks on hold.

The last direct talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in Switzerland in February. After the latest bilateral talks, according to the New York Times, negotiations had dragged on for weeks. The US government insisted that Ukraine temporarily suspend its drone strikes on Moscow and Russia's energy infrastructure while its envoys remained in Russia. In return, Russia demanded a halt to Ukrainian rocket attacks on Kyiv, which the Times reported.