Trump sends Witkoff and Kushner to Russia and Ukraine with a new plan to end the war

President Donald Trump sent his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Russia and Ukraine with a new proposal aimed at ending the war that began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

"They're bringing a proposal to end the war," Trump told reporters on Friday, according to AFP. The president said that both negotiators will try to determine whether there is room to finally reach an agreement and noted that there could be "a good chance" of making progress.

The initiative represents a new effort by Washington to revive diplomatic efforts that have stalled while Russia and Ukraine intensify their attacks with drones and long-range missiles.

According to Axios, Witkoff and Kushner are scheduled to meet this Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and then travel to Kyiv to meet on Sunday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. A senior Ukrainian official also confirmed to AFP that the U.S. envoys were expected in the Ukrainian capital on Sunday.

Reuters reported that Trump spoke of a concrete proposal to achieve peace, though he did not publicly disclose its terms. The U.S. president also did not clarify whether the proposal includes new territorial concessions by Ukraine, one of the issues that has stalled previous rounds of negotiations.

Zelensky proposes a no-fly zone during talks

The new diplomatic offensive coincides with an escalation of attacks on Ukrainian territory.

Hours before Trump's announcement, a Russian drone struck the headquarters of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in downtown Kyiv, according to Zelensky. Another Russian attack on the city of Kamianske, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, left at least four dead and five wounded, according to local authorities.

In this context, Zelensky proposed temporarily suspending airstrikes while talks with U.S. envoys are underway.

"There will be no airstrikes on our part, and Russia must reciprocally guarantee a ceasefire," the Ukrainian president stated. Moscow did not immediately respond to the proposal.

A new attempt after months of stalemate

Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, and Kushner, the U.S. president's son-in-law, have previously participated in negotiations related to Ukraine and other international conflicts. Both have traveled to Moscow on several occasions, though this will be their first joint visit to Kyiv since Trump's return to the White House.

The Washington-led negotiations had lost momentum in recent months. Axios reported that the talks mediated by the Trump administration stalled in February following the start of the war with Iran.

The new trip also comes shortly after an unusual visit to Moscow by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who discussed with Russian intelligence officials the possibility of reviving the negotiations and even raised the idea of holding a potential summit between Trump, Putin, and Zelensky.

Despite Trump's optimism, deep differences remain between Moscow and Kyiv, particularly regarding the future of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories and the security guarantees Ukraine would receive under a potential agreement.

"We have an idea for peace," Trump said. For now, the details of that proposal have not been disclosed.