In brief
US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, part of former President Donald Trump’s peace outreach, plan to visit Russia and Ukraine over the weekend, signalling renewed hope for a settlement. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed he will meet the envoys in Kyiv after they talk to Vladimir Putin in Moscow. While Trump says the envoys bring a proposal, both sides remain at a stalemate, with the Kremlin demanding extensive territorial concessions that Kyiv and its allies reject.
US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia and Ukraine this weekend, signalling that peace talks seem to be gaining momentum.
Zelensky confirmed his meeting with the envoys on Sunday after they arrive in Moscow on Saturday to speak with President Vladimir Putin.
Trump said the envoys bring a proposal to end the war, but a gap remains between Moscow and Kyiv. Earlier, a Russian drone struck Ukrainian security chief Oleksandr Poklad’s office, though Poklad is unharmed.
The Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the contacts would be announced if they occur. Putin earlier said a peace deal was possible, demanding that Moscow and Kyiv agree, yet he imposed maximalist territorial demands. Kyiv and its European allies reject such terms.
Russia occupied about 20% of Ukraine’s territory since its February 2022 invasion.
