Trump envoys land in Moscow for Russia-Ukraine peace push — SkimNews
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- Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on September 5, 2026, carrying what Trump called a proposal to end more than four years of war between Russia and Ukraine, with Kyiv expected on Sunday.
- Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of overnight strikes on Kyiv's two airports and a civilian target in the Dnipro region that killed five people, calling the attacks a deliberate attempt to disrupt the envoys' arrival.
- Zelensky proposed a reciprocal ceasefire for the duration of the trip, pledging no Ukrainian airstrikes; Russia did not immediately respond to the offer.
- A Russian drone struck the SBU security service headquarters in central Kyiv on September 4 — the first such strike on the building since the full-scale invasion began, according to Zelensky.
- The envoys are expected to fly into Kyiv on Sunday, a highly unusual move given Ukrainian airspace has been closed since 2022; visiting officials have typically traveled by train.
- Donald Trump declined to say whether the proposal involves Ukraine ceding territory, telling reporters 'we have an idea for peace,' while broader peace efforts have stalled amid the U.S. war with Iran.
- CIA director John Ratcliffe made a rare visit to Moscow more than a week earlier, warning Russia against attacking NATO member states, according to U.S. media.
Why it matters: The diplomatic push arrives as Russia intensifies strikes — bombing Kyiv's airports hours before the envoys land and hitting the SBU headquarters for the first time since the invasion — putting pressure on Witkoff and Kushner to extract a concession from Putin that Zelensky will accept. The mission's logistics are also untested: flying into airspace closed since 2022.
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