Witkoff & Kushner to spend Labor Day weekend in Russia, Ukraine — SkimNews
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- Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Moscow and Kyiv this weekend to revive negotiations to end the war in Ukraine — the diplomatic duo's first trip to Kyiv since President Donald Trump returned to office.
- The trip follows CIA Director John Ratcliffe's visit to Moscow last week; Reuters reported it was not yet finalized due to security concerns from the American side, even as TASS and Axios initially broke the news.
- Unresolved issues between the two presidents include who will ultimately control the Donbas, the Ukrainian territory partly occupied by Russia, and it is unclear whether the Americans are bringing new proposals or pushing the sides to close existing gaps.
- George Beebe, director of grand strategy at the Quincy Institute, called the development "most welcome" but cautioned success requires overcoming "deep mistrust" and doubts about the Trump administration's "political clout and persistence."
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged on X that Ukraine would halt air strikes during the talks and demanded Russia reciprocate; a drone of unknown origin hit Ukrainian Security Service headquarters in Kyiv on Friday, injuring nine.
- Diplomatic efforts had been on hold since the start of the U.S. war in Iran at the end of February, per the source, even as Russian forces have moved closer to Ukraine's two remaining "fortress cities" in Donetsk.
- Neither Russia nor Ukraine can secure the assurances each needs without U.S. involvement, per Beebe — Kyiv wants guarantees against future invasion while Moscow seeks understandings on European security and normalized relations with Washington.
Why it matters: The visit marks the first push to resume negotiations since February, but the source flags deep mistrust between Kyiv and Moscow and doubts about whether the Trump administration has the political clout to overcome European and Washington establishment opposition, leaving Donbas control and security guarantees unresolved as the trip gets underway.
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