Ukraine War: US Envoys to Visit Kyiv, Moscow in Fresh Peace Push

Trump’s special envoys Witkoff and Kushner arrive in Moscow Saturday, will meet Zelensky in Kyiv as Modi’s peace appeal at SCO summit gains momentum
Kyiv/Moscow, September 5, 2026 — US President Donald Trump’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday for high-stakes negotiations aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war, which has now lasted more than four-and-a-half years.  The envoys are expected to travel to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.�
The diplomatic push comes days after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s direct appeal to Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, where he urged an end to what he called “endless war” for the sake of humanity.  Following Modi’s meeting, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar visited Kyiv and held talks with Zelensky.
Witkoff and Kushner, who have led Trump’s efforts to broker peace between Moscow and Kyiv, were greeted at Moscow airport by Russian presidential aide Kirill Dmitriev.  Zelensky has confirmed the upcoming visit to Kyiv, while the Kremlin has declined to comment on the talks.  Witkoff previously met Putin in Moscow in January for nearly four hours of discussions.�
On August 31, Modi told Putin during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the SCO summit that “the world must move from endless wars to an end to the wars” and emphasized that dialogue and diplomacy are the only path forward.  “Every day that the war continues, humanity is, in effect, set back a step,” Modi said, invoking the message of Gandhi and Buddha.
Meanwhile, a Russian overnight airstrike between September 3 and 4 damaged one of the World Health Organization’s main humanitarian warehouses in the Boryspil District of Kyiv Oblast, destroying medical supplies and equipment.  WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said access to the site was limited due to heavy smoke and safety concerns, adding that no WHO staff were injured.  This marks the third WHO warehouse destroyed in Ukraine in three months.
In a separate attack overnight Thursday-Friday, Russian strikes severely damaged a power plant in Odesa, killing one person and injuring five others, according to Ukrainian officials.