Video Trump tells reporters why he's sending Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Russia and Ukraine During an open to the press event in the White House's Oval Office on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, President Donald Trump explains his decision to send special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv. Credit: Reuters.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, are visiting Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend in an effort to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, President Donald Trump said Friday.
"We have an idea for peace," Trump told reporters on Friday. "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," he said.
Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy confirmed the news in a post on X.
"Today, it has been clearly established that U.S. envoys will be in Ukraine and Russia in the coming days. We have the details from the U.S. President’s team. We discussed today that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Moscow and then Kyiv on Sunday. We are preparing for the visit," Zelenskyy wrote.
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Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev greets U.S. special representatives Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff upon their arrival at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow, Russia, Sept. 5, 2026. (Reuters)
The pair will visit Russia first on Saturday and, according to Russian state-affiliated media outlet Tass, have already landed in Moscow.
They will then move on to Kyiv on Sunday, Zelenskyy confirmed. Zelenskyy also said that Ukraine will work to keep Russian airspace safe during the Americans’ visit.
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Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev walks with U.S. special representatives Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff upon their arrival at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow, Russia, Sept. 5, 2026. (Reuters)
"Just as we did during previous diplomatic visits by the American side, we will ensure the normal functioning of Russian airspace so that the negotiators can arrive safely. We are looking out for them, not for Russia. There will be no air strikes from our side, and Russia must do the same, ensuring there are no air strikes from its side for the time needed to hold these talks and handle the logistical matters related to this American visit," he wrote on X.
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"Our goal is to make the visit and the talks with the U.S. side as constructive and substantive as possible. We need to look for real options for how to move this war toward an end. We will see what proposals Steve and Jared bring and what they are told in Moscow in response," the Ukrainain president concluded.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at a press conference after meetings with the heads of the EU and Ireland, following a formal ceremony to mark the launch of Ireland's eighth EU presidency, at Dublin Castle in Dublin on July 1, 2026. (Paul Faith / AFP via Getty Images)
Zelenskyy’s Friday message came the same day that a Russian drone strike targeted the Security Service of Ukraine’s headquarters in Ukraine, Zelenskyy wrote in a public message on the app Telegram.
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Zelenskyy alleged the strike directly targeted the head of the Security Service's office.
He also wrote that he was directing the head, Oleksandr Poklad, to prepare a retaliatory strike. "I gave Poklad the task of adequately, noticeably and, if possible, mirroring the Russians' response to this attack, when everything is prepared. Our military will support this response. Glory to Ukraine!" he wrote.
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At least nine people were injured in the explosion, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko also wrote on Telegram.
A man looks on as smoke rises over a warehouse, which was hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, Aug. 27, 2026. (REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo)
The visit also comes just one day after German officials formally accused Russia of attempting an explosive drone attack on a major airport in Germany.
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"The attack on the aircraft in Leipzig was concrete; it could have triggered a catastrophe had it succeeded. The attacker was, at most, covert, but even here there is now certainty: The German government has named Russia as the mastermind. Patterns of attack, police investigations, and intelligence findings prove Russian responsibility for the drone attack," Stefan Kornelius, a spokesperson for the German federal government, wrote Friday.
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Fox News Digital contacted the White House and the foreign ministries for Russia, Ukraine and Germany for further comment.
