DID Press: U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday to push for a renewed diplomatic effort to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, which has entered its fifth year. The two were received by Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev, according to people familiar with the visit and Reuters.
The visit comes amid intensified Russian and Ukrainian air attacks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said the U.S. envoys are expected to travel to Kyiv on Sunday after their Moscow meetings.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington had a “concrete proposal” aimed at ending the war, but he did not disclose details. Previous U.S.-mediated negotiations stalled in recent months, while fighting has intensified on the ground and in the air.
The diplomatic push is taking place against a backdrop of growing military escalation. A Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s Security Service in central Kyiv on Friday, while Russia and Ukraine have continued long-range attacks against targets deep inside each other’s territory.
Witkoff and Kushner last visited Moscow in January, when they met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. They have not previously traveled to Kyiv, although Zelenskiy has said he expects to meet them there on Sunday.
Despite the renewed diplomatic effort, major differences remain. Moscow has maintained that Ukraine should give up territory claimed by Russia and abandon its NATO ambitions, positions Kyiv rejects.