Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed in his evening address on September 4 that U.S. presidential special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Kyiv on Sunday, September 6. According to the head of state, the details of the visit were finalized that same day following discussions with the U.S. president's team. As reported by RBC-Ukraine, Zelensky emphasized that the American officials intend to visit Moscow before arriving in the Ukrainian capital.
First visit: why it took so long
For Witkoff and Kushner, the trip to Kyiv will be their first: they had previously made several trips to Moscow and met with Vladimir Putin, but had not yet visited the Ukrainian capital. As early as May, Zelensky had said he expected the visit around the spring-summer boundary, but it did not take place. It was also reported that the American representatives could have come to Kyiv on Ukraine's Independence Day, but that scenario did not materialize either — according to media reports, the reason was Russian strikes. Thus, the trip announced for September 6 closes a prolonged gap in contacts at this level.
'Mirror silence': a condition of security
A key element of Zelensky's statement was the demand for security guarantees during the visit. He noted that, as during previous trips by the U.S. side, Ukraine would ensure the 'normal functioning of Russian airspace' for the safety of U.S. officials, and that no aerial strikes would be carried out from the Ukrainian side. At the same time, the president emphasized that Russia must 'mirror' this by ensuring 'silence' — that is, refrain from aerial strikes for the period needed to conduct negotiations and resolve the logistical issues tied to the American visit. Importantly, the suspension of strikes by Russia in this context is framed as a condition and expectation of Kyiv, not as a confirmed Russian decision.
Moscow first, then Kyiv: logistics and goals
Zelensky explained the sequence: Witkoff and Kushner will first visit Moscow, and on Sunday they will arrive in Kyiv. He added that Ukraine is actively preparing for the visit: a meeting with the broad diplomatic team working with the American side has already taken place. The head of state stated that Kyiv is striving to make the trip as constructive and substantive as possible, since, in his words, real options for ending the war must now be sought. 'We will see what proposals Steve and Jared have and what they will be told in response in Moscow,' the president added.
What this means for the negotiation track
The announcement of the visit against the backdrop of demands for 'silence' in the air points to an attempt to link diplomatic contact with a security regime and to create conditions for a substantive discussion. For Kyiv, the trip by Witkoff and Kushner is an opportunity to lay out its position directly to the U.S. special envoys following a series of their contacts in Moscow. For the parties, it is also a test of how far the readiness for negotiations is backed by practical steps to reduce the intensity of strikes. The outcomes of the visit and the wording that emerges after the Moscow leg of the trip will become a key indicator of the state of the peace track in the coming days.
