American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow to try to revive a deal aimed at ending Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Both sides confirmed they would halt airstrikes during the visit.
The envoys were met at the airport on Saturday by the Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who has served as a key interlocutor for efforts to end the Ukraine-Russia war. According to US outlet Axios, they were expected to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin later in the day.
The visit followed Trump's suggestion on Friday of a new proposal to end the war, though he provided no details on what the plan might involve. Trump made ending the war a priority early in his second term, but those efforts have so far produced little results.
"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 get something done. And there may be a good chance that we'll do it," Trump said.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv would stop its airstrikes during the US officials' visit and asked Moscow to do the same. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday that Putin had ordered a 72-hour pause in strikes on Kyiv.
Significant gaps remain between Russia and Ukraine on how to end the war. On Friday, the Kremlin said it was sticking to the position Putin set out two years earlier, that Ukraine should cede four regions claimed by Russia and not join Nato. That position is unacceptable to Ukraine.
Witkoff and Kushner were expected to visit Kyiv on Sunday, which would be the first time either envoy has visited the Ukrainian capital. Both have visited Moscow before, most recently in January when they met Putin in the Kremlin.
As peace efforts faltered in recent months and US attention shifted to its war with Iran, the conflict intensified. Ground troops have been locked in a grinding stalemate along the 775-mile (1,250km) frontline, with little progress on either side. Both sides have stepped up aerial attacks in recent weeks, striking increasingly distant targets.
Ukraine has carried out long-range strikes on Russian military facilities, oil refineries and e-commerce warehouses in an effort to weaken Russia's war effort and economy. Its strikes on Russian oil refineries have caused fuel shortages and rising prices at the pump.
On Friday, a Russian drone hit the headquarters of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), one of the agencies responsible for carrying out deep-strike operations in Russia. Zelenskyy has vowed to retaliate. Russia has also increased its attacks on Kyiv and other cities with waves of bombardments, stretching Ukraine's air defence systems.
Zelenskyy accused Russia of attempting to disrupt the envoys' visit to Ukraine with strikes on Kyiv's two airports overnight. "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," Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
Officials visiting Ukraine have largely done so by train, as Ukrainian airspace has been closed since 2022 due to the war.
On Friday, Russia carried out overnight strikes, killing five people and wounding five more at a factory in the southern Dnipropetrovsk region, according to the local military administration head, Oleksandr Hanzha. He said those killed were employees working at the factory who were "doing their job when enemy missiles cut off their lives."
A 62-year-old man was wounded, and several homes and a building were damaged in another attack on the region's Nikopol district, Hanzha said.
Russia also struck a shopping centre in the southern Mykolaiv region with drones overnight, damaging the building and wounding a 72-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl. Emergency services said they were repeatedly forced to withdraw because of the threat of further strikes.
Ukraine's air force said Russia launched ballistic missiles and 167 drones overnight, including jet-powered UAVs. Ukrainian air defences disabled 128 of the drones, the air force said.
Russia's defence ministry said it had shot down 53 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Read next
Tokyo tourist hotspot outlaws short-term rentals amid complaint surge
Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, has moved to ban short-term rental accommodations in residential areas and near schools and important cultural sites, following a slew of complaints about visitor behaviour. The decision, to be enacted through a local ordinance, marks the latest sign that Japan’s patience with mass tourism is
Canada implements retaliatory US tariffs as trade dispute intensifies
Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on about $20 billion worth of American imports took effect at 12.01am on Tuesday, ranging from 15% to 50% and applying to steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics. The measures, a response to the United States’ 50% tariff on $20 billion
Prosecutor general resigns amid political turmoil in Kyiv during Ukraine war
Ukraine’s prosecutor general Ruslan Kravchenko resigned amid corruption accusations after anti-graft officers searched his offices at the weekend. He called the allegations “completely unsubstantiated” and denied wrongdoing. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABu) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (Sapo) announced Saturday they uncovered a money-laundering