Trump envoys Witkoff and Kushner get unusual assurance ahead of Moscow talks

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are preparing for Moscow and Kyiv talks, with Ukraine promising safe skies for their travel.

The two are seeking a diplomatic solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, though efforts to broker an end to the war have not yielded results.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that the US team would arrive “in the coming days” as Russian attacks continued across Kyiv, CNN reported on Friday, September 4. 

Volodymyr Zelensky promises safe skies for diplomats

Zelensky said earlier this week that Russia’s airspace “will effectively be closing” because of Ukrainian drones, but he drew a distinction for foreign diplomats traveling to Moscow.

He made clear that if foreign diplomats traveled to Moscow, Ukraine would make sure the skies were safe, according to the outlet.

That assurance adds a specific condition to the envoys’ planned travel as they prepare to meet officials in both capitals, it said. 

TASS reported Friday that the visits would take place on September 5 and 6, citing unnamed sources.

Zelensky had already confirmed the expected meetings in his nightly address on Thursday, saying, “We have received confirmation from them: there will be meetings in Moscow and in Kyiv.”

The Ukrainian president also said the visits matter, saying, “It is important for the US to remain actively involved.” 

He previously said he spoke with Witkoff and Kushner on Monday and that they were “locking in the dates for their visit to Ukraine.”

Kyiv visit comes during intense attacks

The planned trip to Kyiv would be Witkoff and Kushner’s first visit to Ukraine, while both have traveled to Moscow previously.

The timing comes as Kyiv faces sustained Russian aerial attacks. The city has been under near-continuous attack for eight days, with strikes hitting buildings in the center as well as warehouses and factories in the suburbs.

On Friday, a Russian drone struck the central Kyiv headquarters of Ukraine’s Security Service, the SBU. 

At least 53 people have been killed and 134 injured in Kyiv city and the wider Kyiv region since the attacks began August 27. 

The attacks have also hit a factory producing Coca-Cola, while Moscow has used waves of jet-powered drones that are nearly impossible for Ukraine to intercept, according to the report.

Ukraine has also intensified long-range attacks against targets deep inside Russian territory, including oil storage and refining facilities and commercial warehouses.

Vladimir Putin's demands remain a major obstacle

The diplomatic effort has not produced a breakthrough, and a quick end to the war remains unlikely, according to the outlet.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has maintained maximalist demands that include Ukraine ceding control of large swaths of territory, abandoning its ambition to join NATO and dramatically reducing the size of its military.

Kyiv has rejected those conditions. The report also said the diplomatic work led by Witkoff and Kushner had been largely eclipsed by the war in Iran, which the two had also been working to resolve.

Despite the unresolved demands, Zelensky welcomed the planned meetings and said the United States should remain actively involved.

The upcoming Moscow and Kyiv visits would put the two envoys back at the center of efforts to seek a diplomatic solution.