US envoys headed to Russia and Ukraine to relaunch mediation

United States envoys are expected to arrive in Kyiv and Moscow over the weekend, in an apparent bid to revive negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s war on Ukraine .

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late on Thursday that US negotiators were set for meetings in both capitals “in the coming days” and that Ukraine is ready for substantive, high-level negotiations.

Russia’s state news agency TASS reported on Friday that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would be in Moscow on September 5 and 6.

President Donald Trump’s envoys, who have not previously visited Kyiv, were most recently in the Russian capital in January. However, Washington’s mediation efforts have all but halted since the US and Israel launched war on Iran in March.

Zelenskyy was enthusiastic in announcing the return of US-backed talks, despite Washington having previously been accused of adopting Russian narratives and demands for ending the war, primarily that Kyiv should hand over territory.

The Ukrainian president said in a late-night address that his country’s negotiating team is in near-constant contact with the US side and preparing for talks.

“They confirmed they will have a meeting in Moscow and another one in Kyiv. We expect the latter to take place in the coming days. This is very important. It is important that America remain actively engaged,” he said, adding that Ukraine is ready for substantive, high-level negotiations.

The TASS report said Witkoff and Kushner – respectively, Trump’s real estate partner and son-in-law – will first arrive in Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to confirm reports at a later news briefing.