There will be no airstrikes: Zelenskyy proposes ceasefire ahead of US envoys visit

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed a temporary halt to airstrikes during the planned visit of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv. The offer comes as Washington pushes a fresh peace proposal even as fighting and scepticism over a near-term deal persist.

In Short

• Zelenskyy proposes temporary halt to airstrikes during US envoys' visit
• US envoys Witkoff and Kushner to visit Moscow and Kyiv on Sunday
• Trump claims a fresh peace proposal and hopes for a breakthrough

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed a temporary halt to airstrikes by Ukraine and Russia during the upcoming visit of US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, as the two countries seek to advance talks aimed at ending the war.

Zelenskyy said on Friday that US envoys Witkoff and Kushner would visit Moscow and then Kyiv on Sunday. He said Ukraine was preparing for their visit based on details provided by the US President’s team.

“Just as we did during previous diplomatic visits by the American side, we will ensure the normal functioning of Russian airspace so that the negotiators can arrive safely,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.

“We are looking out for them, not for Russia. There will be no air strikes from our side, and Russia must do the same, ensuring there are no air strikes from its side for the time needed to hold these talks and handle the logistical matters related to this American visit,” he said.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine wanted to make the visit and talks with the US side “as constructive and substantive as possible." He said Kyiv needed to look for “real options” to move the war towards an end.

“We will see what proposals Steve and Jared bring and what they are told in Moscow in response,” Zelenskyy said.

Trump said on Friday that Witkoff and Kushner were heading abroad in an attempt to forge a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said the US had a fresh concrete proposal aimed at ending the war, which is now in its fifth year.

“We have an idea for peace,” Trump said.

“I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two great negotiators. They've done a great job, 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,” he said.

Trump did not elaborate on the proposal or say whether Witkoff and Kushner would travel to Ukraine, Russia or both countries.

Zelenskyy said the two men would fly to Ukraine on Sunday after visiting Moscow.

The duo had been planning to travel to Moscow over the weekend, followed by a visit to Kyiv, two sources previously told Reuters. However, their itinerary has remained in flux in recent days, and the Kyiv section of the trip was still not completely certain as of Friday, one of the sources said.

The Trump administration’s attempts to settle the war in Ukraine have largely come to nothing, with negotiations stalling in recent months.

In late August, CIA Director John Ratcliffe travelled to Moscow in part to press his counterparts there to consider a settlement, Reuters and several other media outlets reported.

Most Western intelligence officials doubt Russian President Vladimir Putin is interested in a short-term deal, while Ukrainian intelligence believes he is likely to escalate rather than de-escalate the war in the near term.

The latest diplomatic push comes as fighting continues. A Russian drone hit the headquarters of Ukraine’s SBU security service in Kyiv on Friday, marking one of the most high-profile targets struck during the war.

Witkoff, who is effectively the lead US negotiator on the war in Ukraine, has travelled to Moscow numerous times but has not yet visited Ukraine.

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