United States special representatives, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for talks on the war in Ukraine.
The envoys were received by Russian presidential envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, who has participated in previous meetings between U.S. negotiators and Russian President, Vladimir Putin.
A witness said a motorcade carrying Witkoff, Kushner and Dmitriev left Moscow’s governmental airport and travelled towards the city.
Dmitriev, who said in June that he remained in contact with U.S. negotiators during a pause in their visits to Russia, has also been involved in negotiations over U.S. sanctions waivers for Russian oil.
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U.S. President, Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington had a new concrete proposal to end the war, now in its fifth year, but did not provide details.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the two U.S. representatives would travel to Ukraine on Sunday after their Moscow visit.
In a post on X on Saturday, Zelenskiy alleged that Russia had targeted two Ukrainian airports ahead of the envoys’ planned visit to Kyiv.
The latest diplomatic efforts come amid continued differences between Moscow and Kyiv over how to end the conflict, which has become the deadliest war in Europe since World War Two.
The Kremlin said on Friday that Putin’s position, outlined in a speech two years ago, remained “unshakeable”.
The position calls for Ukraine to cede the entire territory of four regions claimed by Russia and abandon its ambition to join NATO.
Since the last peace talks in February, both sides have intensified long-range attacks against targets deep inside each other’s territory, while fighting at sea has also increased.
On the ground, front lines have remained largely unchanged, with Russian forces making gradual advances in their efforts to capture the whole of Ukraine’s Donbas region.
Ukraine’s drone attacks on Russian oil refineries have contributed to fuel shortages and rising prices for motorists, while a series of attacks on large warehouses belonging mainly to Wildberries, Russia’s biggest online retailer, have disrupted parts of the consumer economy.
Meanwhile, a Russian drone attack struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s SBU security service in Kyiv on Friday, marking the 10th consecutive day of heavy attacks on the capital.
Zelenskiy vowed to retaliate against the latest strikes.
Reuters
