US Envoys Arrive In Moscow As Russia Continues To Pound Ukraine
by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service · Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty · JoinUS special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have landed in Moscow as part of the latest White House attempt to end Russia's war against its neighbor, with the two diplomats set to visit Kyiv afterward.
Their arrival, reported by Reuters and TASS, marks a rare development in effectively stalled negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow came as Russian forces launched a fresh wave of attacks across Ukraine.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said Washington had "an idea for peace," adding that his envoys were "bringing with them a proposal to end the war."
"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 told reporters at the White House on September 4 without providing details.
Responding to increasing concerns in the West that Russian President Vladimir Putin could attack a NATO member to test the alliance's resolve, Trump again said he doesn't believe the Kremlin leader is planning such a move.
"I speak to him. I know him very well. Putin's not looking to attack NATO territory," Trump said.
Zelenskyy said on September 4 that "today it has been clearly determined that American representatives will be in Ukraine and in Russia in the coming days" and he called for a pause in air strikes by both sides to facilitate any meetings.
He added that the US team had informed him that Witkoff and Kushner would first visit Kyiv on September 6, a day after their talks in Moscow.
Previously, a US official had confirmed to RFE/RL that Witkoff and Kushner would travel to Moscow and Kyiv "in the coming days."
Zelenskyy Calls For Pause In Air Strikes
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces would "ensure the normal functioning of Russia airspace so that the negotiators can arrive there safely" and demanded that Moscow reciprocate.
"There will be no air strikes from our side, and Russia must also refrain from conducting air strikes for the time needed to hold these negotiations."
The visit would come just days after a Russia drone strike hit the headquarters of Ukraine's domestic security service -- known as the SBU and a key agency that would be responsible for the US envoys' safety during a visit.
"Unfortunately, a Russian drone hit the central building of the SBU on Volodymyrska Street in Kyiv, opposite the St. Sophia Cathedral," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram, referring to the main building of the domestic intelligence agency.
SEE ALSO:
How Much Can Ukraine Disrupt Civilian Flights In Russia?
"The drone was aimed directly at the office of the head of the security service in that building," he said, adding that SBU chief Oleksandr Poklad was not pressent at the time.
Prior to calling for a pause in air strikes, Zelenskyy said he had ordered Poklad to "adequately, noticeably and, if possible, to mirror" the Russians' actions "when everything is prepared. "
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least seven people were injured in the strike. It was not immediately disclosed if SBU members were among the injured.
The normal high-security measures around the sensitive building prevented journalists from viewing the damage to the sprawling site. Heavy black smoke was seen above the city center following the attack.
Despite Zelenskyy's call for a mutual pause ahead of a fresh round of diplomacy, Russia continued to target places across Ukraine on September 5, killing at least four people in Ukraine's industrial city of Kamianske in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Russian attacks were also reported in the Kyiv, Mykolayiv, and Poltava regions. The Ukrainian military said that, in its overnight strikes, Moscow used Iskander-M ballistic missiles and at least 167 drones, around half of which were jet-powered.
SEE ALSO:
Russia's Jet-Powered Drones: A Major New Threat To Ukraine Amid Speeding Arms Race
Experts See 'Escalation'
Heather A. Conley, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and former deputy assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, said the attack signaled a ramping up of the Kremlin's air offensive against Ukraine.
"This was a clear escalation of Russia as it follows along six days of intense bombing," she told RFE/RL.
"I just believe they are they are accelerating their efforts just as they see Ukraine's drones and so-called long-range sanctions having a significant impact in Russia."
Conley said the strike "absolutely contradicts" Putin's statement a day earlier suggesting that he is open to negotiations again.
Tressa Guenov, former senior Pentagon and State Department official, told RFE/RL that Russia's "daytime strike on Ukraine’s SBU headquarters in Kyiv is part of an increasingly escalatory dynamic and mounting strikes against the capital."
"One can guess that Moscow has always likely had plans on the shelf aimed at SBU targets, but hitting the headquarters today shows that Russia is willing to push new boundaries amidst an uncertain diplomatic situation."
"For Ukraine, this attack is case in point why it needs urgent air defense interceptors," added Guenov, who is currently a senior fellow at the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council.
Attack Follows Street Gun Battle
The attack comes two days after a dramatic shoot-out between the SBU and Ukraine's military intelligence agency, the HUR, on the streets of the capital.
Their firefight erupted on September 2, but details of the incident and the reasons for the gun battle remain murky.
SEE ALSO:
Exclusive: A Secluded Russian Island May Hold Bioweapons Secrets
Zelenskyy took swift action, firing the deputy heads of each organization on September 3 -- declaring "both agencies must be held accountable.” He'd previously said the gunfight was "disgraceful."
The September 4 strike on the SBU building marked a continuation of Russia's campaign of daytime attack in and around Kyiv -- after four years of almost daily overnight strikes. It comes as Russia's ground offensive in eastern Ukraine stalls amid heavy losses on both sides.
Russia has turned to launching jet-propelled drones capable of flying nearly twice as fast as older models, forcing Kyiv to adapt defenses in the battle against high-tech weapons and prompting leaders to plea for additional air defense weapons from Western partners.
New Diplomatic Push
The visits of the US envoys will mark their first visit to Ukraine since taking leading roles in the administration's efforts to end the war and come amid a renewed diplomatic push aimed at bringing a peace agreement in the increasingly bloody war.
SEE ALSO:
Ratcliffe's Moscow Warning: What We Know A Week Later, According To Ex-CIA Officers
CIA Director John Ratcliffe on August 25 met with the heads of the Russian intelligence and security services in Moscow. The US spy agency did not disclose the full agenda, but the Kremlin said Ratcliffe did not meet with Putin.
Ratcliffe reportedly warned Russian officials against attacking or testing NATO, with particular concern about the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
The AEI's Conley said that "it's absolutely unclear to me the next steps on US policy toward the conflict."
"It's not clear if the US is willing to place pressure, more pressure on Russia," she said, citing confusion over a Russian sanctions bill currently on an uncertain course in the US Congress and uncertainty over potential licensing of the production of Patriot missiles to Ukraine.
"There's just a lack of clarity right now on on how the US is planning to proceed," she added.
US Envoys Arrive In Moscow As Russia Continues To Pound Ukraine
Share
Share
Follow us