U.S. envoys in Moscow in new push for peace between Russia and Ukraine

On 5 September 2026 two senior U.S. Negotiators landed in Moscow, sparking a fresh diplomatic effort that could reshape a war now in its fifth year. The arrival of Steve Witkoff, a long‑time Trump associate, and Jared Kushner, the former president’s son‑in‑law, is being billed as a “new push” to break a stalemate that has long frustrated both Washington and Kyiv.

The envoys were greeted at the airport by Russia’s official envoy Kirill Dmitriev, a meeting reported by the state news agency TASS and echoed in Boise State Public Radio and Arab Weekly Survey. Their first stop in Russia follows a January visit to the Kremlin, the last time the pair met President Vladimir Putin in person.

Media additions

Both sides have intensified aerial attacks in the days surrounding the arrival. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Kyiv would suspend its own airstrikes for the duration of the envoy’s trip and urged Moscow to reciprocate. Moscow has not publicly answered the request.

“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,”

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, via Witness

In the same post, Zelenskyy added that Ukraine would “adjust our operation accordingly regarding Russian airspace” and pledged “no threats to diplomacy from our side.” The Ukrainian leader also warned that Russian strikes on Kyiv’s Boryspil and the city’s main airport were a direct response to the planned visit.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense confirmed a wave of strikes after the envoys’ arrival. The ministry said its forces hit two metallurgical plants in the Dnipropetrovsk region — identified as major suppliers for Ukraine’s military production — and claimed to have shot down 53 Ukrainian drones overnight. Ukrainian officials reported that Russian forces launched 167 attack drones, including Shahed‑type, jet‑powered, Geran and decoy models, with air defenses destroying or suppressing 128 of them.

“A locksmith, an electrician, a plumber and a machinist… were simply working their shift. They were doing their job when enemy missiles cut off their lives,”

Oleksandr Hanzha, Head of Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, via Arab Weekly Survey

The attacks killed five civilians and wounded five more at an industrial facility in the southern Dnipropetrovsk region. A separate strike in the Nikopol district injured a 62‑year‑old man and damaged residential structures. In Kyiv’s Boryspil district, a fire sparked by a Russian strike partially destroyed a nine‑storey apartment block, while a shopping centre in Mykolaiv was hit by drones, injuring a 72‑year‑old man and a 17‑year‑old girl.

President Donald Trump, who sent the envoys, framed the mission as a direct test of whether “there may be a good chance that we’ll do it.” He told reporters the pair were “bringing with them a proposal to end the war” but stopped short of revealing any details, including whether it involved territorial concessions, a subject that has generated speculation in Washington and Brussels.

Analysts note that the timing of the envoy visit coincides with a broader shift in U.S. Foreign‑policy focus. For the past six months, Washington’s attention has been drawn to a concurrent war with Iran, a factor that Boise State Public Radio highlighted as having “lost momentum” for Ukraine.

What to watch next

• 5 September 2026 – Envoys meet Russian officials in Moscow; Kyiv expects their arrival on 6 September.
• 7 September 2026 – President Vladimir Putin is expected to announce a three‑day halt to Kyiv strikes, as reported by Economic Times.

Timeline of key diplomatic moves

Date	Event	Source
January 2026	Witkoff and Kushner meet President Putin in the Kremlin.	Boise State Public Radio
5 September 2026	Envoys land in Moscow; meet Kirill Dmitriev.	Arab Weekly Survey
5 September 2026	Zelenskyy announces Ukrainian halt to airstrikes; cites Russian airport strikes as reaction.	Witness
5 September 2026	Russia launches 167 drones; Ukraine reports 128 downed.	Arab Weekly Survey
6 September 2026	Planned visit to Kyiv; potential talks with Putin in Moscow.	Witness
7 September 2026	Putin orders three‑day halt to Kyiv strikes.	Economic Times