The special envoys of the North American administration, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, landed this Saturday in Moscow for a diplomatic mission aimed at reaching a peace agreement for Ukraine. The delegation was received by Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev and has scheduled a meeting at the highest level with Vladimir Putin. On Sunday, the negotiators proceed to Kyiv, where they will meet President Volodymyr Zelensky in person for the first time.
President Donald Trump publicly confirmed the mission in the Oval Office, assuring that the delegation is presenting a proposal to end the war. Trump stated he has ended eight international conflicts, lamenting not having received the Nobel Peace Prize. However, he acknowledged significant obstacles to dialogue, admitting he had expected a simpler resolution and emphasizing that Putin and Zelensky deeply hate each other.
The trip takes place in a context of military escalation, with intensified aerial attacks from both sides. US diplomacy made establishing an operational pause during the meetings a priority, a request that Zelensky also formalized through an appeal for a temporary air ceasefire. Ukrainian forces have been attacking Russian refineries and energy infrastructure, while Kyiv faces a shortage of interceptor ammunition for air defense.
The main obstacle to negotiations remains the sovereignty and territorial control of Donbas, in eastern Ukraine, a region partially occupied by Russian troops. Moscow demands sovereignty guarantees over the area, a condition rejected by Kyiv. This mission comes one year after the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, which ended without significant progress. The international community awaits the outcome of the meetings to assess the viability of the American proposal.
