Published: 09:55 BST, 5 September 2026 | Updated: 13:00 BST, 5 September 2026
A US aircraft carrying President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff touched down in Moscow today.
It comes after Trump said on Friday that the envoys were heading to Moscow and Kyiv in Washington's latest bid to reach a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
US outlet Axios reported they would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday, and then President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday. The Kremlin declined to comment.
Trump told reporters that the two negotiators would seek to gauge whether progress towards peace was possible.
The US Air Force special aircraft from Miami International Airport touched down in Vnukovo on Saturday morning. Kushner and Witkoff were met by Putin's investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, before leaving the airport in a motorcade.
It comes as Zelensky announced today that Russia carried out 'deliberate' strikes on Ukrainian airports overnight in Kyiv and Boryspil.
'Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the U.S. side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine and land at Kyiv Airport or Boryspil Airport,' he wrote on X.
He added: 'We have taken note of this Russian move, and next week we will adjust our operation accordingly regarding Russian airspace, which has become dangerous because of our drones and missiles in the sky.
'Of course, there are and will be no threats to diplomacy from our side. Ukraine is interested in bringing peace closer. Russia will be held accountable for what it does.'
The Ukrainian president added that four people were killed and five others injured after a Russian strike in Kamianske, in the Dnipro region.
Peace efforts have stalled due to Washington's war with Iran, while Moscow and Kyiv have intensified long-range attacks, driving up civilian casualties to levels not seen since the start of fighting.
'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,' Trump said.
'They're bringing with them a proposal to end the war,' he said.
The US president would not say whether the plan involved Ukraine ceding territory as he has previously suggested, but added: 'We have an idea for peace.'
