On September 5, 2026, special envoys of US President Donald Trump — Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — arrived in Moscow. According to Russian state media, the aircraft carrying the American diplomats landed at Vnukovo Airport, where the delegation was met by Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin's special representative for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries. Russian outlets also published the first footage of Witkoff's and Kushner's motorcade moving through the capital, marking the de facto start of the Moscow leg of the visit.
What the Envoys Are Carrying: A Proposal to End the War
As Donald Trump himself had previously announced, Witkoff and Kushner are bringing to Kyiv and Moscow an American proposal for ending the conflict. The Moscow leg of the trip thus became the first practical step in implementing this initiative. At the same time, according to several outlets, the Kyiv leg of the visit was repeatedly postponed, indicating the difficulty of coordinating the parties' schedules and the uneven pace of the diplomatic process.
Airspace and Strikes on Airports
On the eve of the arrival, the US reportedly asked Ukraine not to strike Russian energy facilities during the visit. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly stated that he would ensure the normal functioning of Russian airspace so that the negotiators could arrive safely, and called on Moscow to make a similar decision; however, he said Russia did not do so. On the morning of September 5, Zelenskyy reported that Russia had attacked Kyiv and Boryspil airports — the very airports to which Trump's envoys could have flown.
Contradictory Data
The timeline of the visit looks different across open sources. Earlier, according to TASS, Witkoff and Kushner "could visit Kyiv and Moscow next week," meaning the trip was presented as a likely but unconfirmed event, with the Kremlin confirming only the preparations for the visit. By September 5, Russian media were already reporting the actual landing at Vnukovo. Moreover, statements that the envoys are carrying a ready-made proposal to both capitals coexist with reports that the Ukrainian leg of the trip is constantly being postponed. The gap between "confirmed preparations," "a possible visit next week," and "the fact of arrival" reflects that part of the information is being formed in real time and may be refined as events unfold.
Kyiv's Reaction and the Ceasefire Question
Against the backdrop of this diplomatic activity, the head of the GUR, Kirill Budanov, stated that Ukraine had offered Russia a ceasefire at the front. This statement strengthens the context: the arrival of American mediators coincides with Kyiv's attempts to secure at least a local cessation of hostilities, while the strikes on the airports on the day of the visit demonstrate ongoing military escalation and the contradiction between the negotiation track and actions on the battlefield.
