05 September 2026 | 00:01

READING: 3 minutes

Donald Trump has a proposal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. He intends to present it to Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky when Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the U.S. president’s envoys, travel first to Moscow and then to Kyiv for two meetings. According to TASS, which cites an anonymous source, Witkoff and Kushner “plan to arrive in Moscow and subsequently in Kyiv on September 5 and 6.”

The weekend could therefore become a pivotal moment in a conflict that has been ongoing for four and a half years. “Witkoff and Kushner are taking a proposal to Moscow to end the war. We have an idea for peace. In this war there is a personality problem; there is real hatred between Putin and Zelensky,” Trump said, referring to the intense animosity between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents. He did not specify whether the plan would require Ukraine to cede territory; in recent months Kyiv has ruled out giving up the Donbas. Trump also commented on the human cost of the fighting and on his relationship with the Kremlin leader, saying he speaks with Putin and knows him well and adding that he does not expect an attack on NATO territory—remarks intended to ease fears of a wider escalation.

Zelensky is awaiting further developments and has welcomed the U.S. mission to Moscow. Ukraine says it will suspend attacks to facilitate talks. “As happened during previous U.S. diplomatic visits, we will ensure the normal operation of Russian airspace so that the negotiators can arrive safely. We care about their safety, not Russia’s,” he wrote on Telegram, stressing that “on our part there will be no air strikes and Russia must also guarantee, reciprocally, a pause in air strikes for as long as needed for the talks and to handle the logistics of this American visit.”

“Our goal,” Zelensky emphasized, “is to make the visit and the talks with the American side as constructive and concrete as possible. We must seek real options to steer this war toward its conclusion. We will see what proposals Steve and Jared bring and how Moscow responds.”

Moscow attempts to strike the top official of Kyiv’s security service

After the diplomatic pause, the conflict risks resuming with renewed escalation. In recent hours Russia struck hard at Kyiv: a drone from Moscow “hit the central building of the Security Service of Ukraine opposite St. Sophia Cathedral,” Zelensky said. The raid was reportedly aimed at Oleksandr Poklad, the head of the Ukrainian security service. The attempt missed its target, as photos showed Zelensky meeting with the SBU chief.

“The drone was aimed directly at the office of the head of the Security Service located in that building. I ordered Poklad to give the Russians an adequate and concrete response—where possible of equal magnitude to this attack—once everything is ready. Our armed forces will support that response. The places to be struck have been identified. The timing will be chosen to ensure results,” Zelensky announced, promising retaliation. Meanwhile, Ukraine has for days been carrying out a campaign to disrupt Russian airspace: air traffic over Moscow has been affected by drone-attack threats and several airlines have altered their schedules.