20 August, Washington (RASS/AFP). US President Donald Trump has announced that he will send his special envoys Steve Wittkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kiev in an effort to end the Ukraine war that has been going on for more than four years.
According to Trump, both negotiators will explore the possibility of a peace agreement and will also come up with a proposal to end the war. It is said that they will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev on Sunday.
According to a senior Ukrainian official, Wittkoff and Kushner are scheduled to arrive in Kiev on Sunday. However, the Kremlin did not immediately comment on their visit.
Trump said both negotiators he sent had previously played important roles in the Gaza and Iran ceasefire talks. He claimed that his administration has a clear plan for peace. However, Trump did not clarify whether the proposal includes the issue of Ukraine giving up part of its territory to Russia.
While American diplomatic efforts are underway, long-range missile and drone attacks between Russia and Ukraine have intensified. Due to recent attacks, the number of deaths and injuries of civilians has also increased.
Ukrainian President Zelensky said a few hours before Trump's announcement, a Russian drone attacked the headquarters of the security services in the capital of Ukraine, Kiev. According to him, the attack targeted the office of the acting head of the security agency. It is said to be the first attack on a security service headquarters since the start of the war.
After the attack, Zelensky proposed a temporary ceasefire for the duration of the US envoys' visit. He said that Ukraine will not carry out airstrikes during that period and Russia should also stop airstrikes reciprocally.
Russia did not immediately respond to the proposal. Earlier, Zelensky warned that Russian airspace would not be safe due to Ukrainian drones if Russia continued the war.
Wittkoff and Kushner's visit will be Trump's first visit to war-torn Kiev since his second term as US president. Both of them had previously visited Moscow several times during their diplomatic efforts with Russia.
The visit follows the recent visit of US intelligence chief John Ratcliffe to Moscow. According to the American media, Ratcliffe warned Russia not to attack the member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Similarly, this week the US welcomed the participation of the Russian finance minister in the G20 meeting in North Carolina.
The Trump administration's latest move has intensified efforts to reopen diplomatic channels to end the Russia-Ukraine war. However, deep differences remain between Moscow and Kiev over the main terms of a cease-fire and possible peace deal.
