US envoys arrive in Moscow to thrash out plan to end war in Ukraine
After talks in Moscow, the pair are expected to travel to Kyiv as part of Washington's latest bid to break a diplomatic stalemate.
It will be the first time that Trump's businessman friend Witkoff and son-in-law Kushner have visited Kyiv since Trump returned to office last year with a pledge to resolve the conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of trying to disrupt the envoys' visit with strikes on Friday night on Kyiv's two airports, as well as on a civilian target in the Dnipro region that killed five people.
"Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the US side using an aircraft to travel toUkraine," Zelensky said on social media.
Putin orders ceasefire
Before meeting Witkoff and Kushner, Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, ordered a three-day halt in Moscow's strikes on Kyiv to allow the US delegation to hold talks there.
"The Russian president, the commander-in-chief, has given the order from midnight tonight not to strike Kyiv for three days," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
He said the move was linked to the preparation and conduct of talks by American negotiators in Kyiv.
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Travelling to Kyiv by plane would be an unusual move, with Ukrainian airspace closed since 2022 because of the war. Visiting leaders and officials have generally travelled by train.
Witkoff and Kushner are expected in Kyiv on Sunday, a senior Ukrainian official told the French news agency AFP.
Trump told reporters the envoys would seek to gauge whether progress towards peace was possible.
Russia and Ukraine have intensified long-range attacks, driving up civilian casualties to levels not seen since the start of fighting in February 2022.
'Great negotiators'
Trump hailed Witkoff and Kushner as great negotiators. "They've done a great job," hea dded. "And we sent them over to see whether or not we can get something done. And there may be a good chance that we'll do it," Trump said.
"They're bringing with them a proposal to end the war."
Witkoff and Kushner, who have been involved in negotiations for ceasefires in Gaza and Iran, have travelled repeatedly to Moscow in previous attempts to achieve a diplomatic solution.
Their visit comes after a trip to Moscow last month by CIA director John Ratcliffe, who warned Russia against any attack on NATO member states, according to US media.