Witkoff & Kushner to spend Labor Day weekend in Russia, Ukraine — SkimNews
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- Witkoff and Kushner will travel to Moscow and Kyiv over Labor Day weekend to revive Ukraine war negotiations — their first Kyiv trip since Trump's return to office and following CIA Director Ratcliffe's Moscow visit last week.
- Diplomatic efforts have been on hold since the U.S. war with Iran began at the end of February, and Reuters reported the trip was not yet finalized due to American security concerns despite initial reports from TASS and Axios.
- Key sticking points include who will ultimately control the Donbas, partly Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory, according to the New York Times.
- Zelenskyy pledged on X that "there will be no air strikes from our side" during talks and demanded Russia do the same.
- A drone of unknown origin struck Ukrainian Security Service headquarters in Kyiv on Friday, injuring nine people per the city's mayor, while July civilian deaths hit their highest levels since the war's first year.
- George Beebe of the Quincy Institute called the moment "most welcome" but warned that "deep mistrust" remains and questioned whether the Trump administration has "the political clout and persistence" to overcome opposition in Europe and the Washington establishment.
Why it matters: This marks the first serious U.S. diplomatic push to end the Ukraine war since the Iran conflict paused those efforts in late February. Reuters' report that the trip isn't yet finalized due to U.S. security concerns — combined with Beebe's explicit warning about deep mutual mistrust and doubt over Trump's political clout — means any breakthrough depends on whether Washington can sustain pressure through the Donbas control fight.
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