Trump envoys land in Moscow for Russia-Ukraine peace push

Trump envoys land in Moscow for Russia-Ukraine peace push. AFP Published September 5, 2026 Updated September 5, 2026 04: 47pm.

Key points

• Earlier this week, the United States welcomed the Russian finance minister at a G20 gathering in North Carolina.
• Travelling to Kyiv by plane would be a highly unusual move, with Ukrainian airspace closed since 2022 since of the war.
• Just hours before Trump's announcement on Friday, a Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine's SBU security service in central Kyiv, according to Zelensky.
• US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner landed in Moscow on Saturday to discuss a plan to end more than four years of war between Russia and Ukraine.
• Hours afterwards, Oleksandr Ganzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, stated a Russian strike killed four individuals and wounded five in the southeastern city of Kamianske.

After discussions in Moscow, the pair, sent by US President Donald Trump, are anticipated to travel on to Kyiv in Washington's latest bid to break a diplomatic stalemate in Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II.

As well as on a civilian target in the Dnipro region that killed five individuals, ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of trying to disrupt the envoys' visit with overnight strikes on Kyiv's two airports.

"Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the US side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine, " Zelensky remarked on X, adding there would be "no threats to diplomacy" from the Ukrainian side.

It will be the first time that Trump's businessman friend Witkoff and son-in-law Kushner have visited war-torn Kyiv since Trump returned to office last year with a pledge to resolve the conflict.

Travelling to Kyiv by plane would be a highly unusual move, with Ukrainian airspace closed since 2022 since of the war. Visiting leaders and authorities have largely travelled by train.

While US outlet Axios documented they would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday, the envoys are projected in Kyiv on Sunday, a senior Ukrainian official informed AFP.

Trump remarked to journalists that the two negotiators would seek to gauge whether progress was feasible towards peace in the conflict.

While Moscow and Kyiv have intensified long-range attacks, driving up civilian casualties to levels not seen since the start of fighting, peace efforts have stalled due to Washington's war on Iran.

"I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two great negotiators. They've done a great job, and we sent them over to see whether or not we can obtain something done. And there may be a good chance that we'll do it, " Trump remarked. "They're bringing with them a proposal to end the war."

Meanwhile, the US president would not say whether the plan involved Ukraine ceding territory as he has previously suggested, but continued: "We have an idea for peace."

Witkoff and Kushner, who have been involved in negotiations for ceasefires in Gaza and Iran, have travelled repeatedly to Moscow in previous attempts at diplomacy.

Meanwhile, the renewed push for diplomacy comes as Russia and Ukraine pummel each other with long-range missile and drone attacks.

Notably, the strike, which Zelensky remarked was aimed at the office of the agency's acting chief, was the first on its headquarters since the start of the invasion. Despite the unprecedented nature of the strike, the Ukrainian president proposed observing a ceasefire with Russia for the duration of the US envoys' trip.

"There will be no airstrikes on our part, and Russia must reciprocally ensure a ceasefire – without its own airstrikes – for the duration needed to conduct these talks, " he remarked in his evening address. Russia did not immediately comment on the proposal.

Witkoff and Kusher's trip comes more than a week after a rare visit to Moscow by CIA director John Ratcliffe. This person cautioned Russia against any attack on Nato member states, according to US media.

In short, trump envoys land in Moscow for Russia is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.