① Trump confirmed that Witkoff and Kushner have prepared another proposal to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict;
② Previous reports indicated that the two would travel to Russia first this weekend, followed by a visit to Ukraine;
③ Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine would suspend air strikes during the visit of the U.S. special envoy and called on Russia to implement a simultaneous ceasefire.
According to CCTV News, U.S. President Trump confirmed in an interview with the media at the White House on September 4 (local time) that U.S. special envoys Witkoff and Kushner will submit a proposal to Russia to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Trump stated, “We have a plan to achieve peace. I have dispatched two outstanding negotiators—Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. They have performed exceptionally well. I sent them to explore whether an agreement can be reached. There is a significant possibility that we can achieve this.”
However, Trump did not disclose the specific details of the proposal, nor did he clarify the exact itinerary of the two envoys, particularly whether they would visit Ukraine.
According to previous disclosures by multiple sources, Witkoff and Kushner had originally planned to travel to Moscow this weekend, followed by a visit to Kyiv. However, one informed source revealed that the schedule has been fluctuating in recent days, and the trip to Kyiv remains uncertain.
As a party to the potential talks, Russian President Putin had previously signaled goodwill.
In an interview with the media on Thursday, he specifically mentioned Kushner and Witkoff, describing them as trustworthy interlocutors.
The Russian President stated, “Mr. Kushner and Mr. Witkoff are always welcome guests, and we are keen to cooperate with them.”
On the other hand, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy was eagerly anticipating the arrival of the U.S. special envoys. For context, during Trump’s current term, both Witkoff and Kushner have visited Moscow but have not yet traveled to Kyiv. Zelenskyy had publicly stated that this disparity was “unfair to Ukraine.”
On Friday, Zelenskyy also posted on social media that he had received specific arrangements from the U.S. presidential team, indicating that Witkoff and Kushner would visit Moscow on Sunday before proceeding to Kyiv.
(Source: X)
Zelenskyy also announced that Ukraine would suspend air strike operations during the visit of the U.S. special envoy and called on Russia to take similar action.
Since June this year, Ukraine has launched large-scale drone attacks on Russian territory, targeting transport vessels, refineries, and retail warehouses. These actions have forced several major Russian refineries to halt operations, leading to a situation where Russia needed to import gasoline from India.
Meanwhile, retaliatory strikes by Russia have severely disrupted Ukraine’s logistics network and rendered maritime trade via the Black Sea nearly impossible.
The escalation of hostilities in the Black Sea also drove$Chicago SRW Wheat Futures (DEC6) (ZWmain.US)$prices to a three-year high this week, before retreating in the past two days amid news of a new round of negotiations.
For Ukraine, there is an even more urgent need at present: securing additional Patriot interceptor missiles from the United States, particularly as the war involving Iran has led to shortages in this critical munition stockpile.
In mid-August, media reports cited Dmytro, the chief engineer responsible for operating Ukraine’s Patriot missile systems, as admitting that he had not seen the Patriot systems in operation for several weeks.
Zelenskyy stated that Kyiv would need 300 such missiles to withstand Russian missile attacks during the upcoming winter.
In early July, Trump stated during his attendance at the NATO Summit that he would authorize Ukraine to produce Patriot systems, but later retracted and denied this claim.
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