Witkoff, Kushner Reportedly to Visit Moscow Before Kyiv on Sept. 5-6

Trump envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are reportedly set to visit Moscow first, then Kyiv, over the weekend of Sept. 5-6. On Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that preliminary dates had been set for a meeting with the US presidential envoys in the coming days, but did not provide exact dates.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. On Friday morning, Russian state news agency TASS, citing a source, initially reported that Witkoff and Kushner intended to visit Kyiv and Moscow in the coming days. It later added: “Witkoff and Kushner will first visit Moscow, then Kyiv on September 5-6, a source told TASS.” During the morning Russian attack on Kyiv, Verkhovna Rada Deputy Oleksiy Honcharenko reported that a drone had hit a plane at Zhulyany Airport, the second-largest passenger international airport in Kyiv and Ukraine. The airport is located in the Zhulyany district, about 8 kilometers southwest of the city center. “Witkoff and Kushner were supposed to fly to Kyiv on Sunday after visiting Moscow on Saturday. The most interesting thing about this sentence is that they WERE TO ARRIVE in Boryspil by plane. This was at the stage of agreement. The Americans were skeptical, but were close enough to agree,” Honcharenko wrote. According to Honcharenko, given that “the Russians hit the plane in Zhulyany with a drone,” Witkoff and Kushner will most likely arrive in Kyiv on Sunday – meaning they will definitely not get there by plane and will most likely travel by train. Other Topics of Interest Coca-Cola Production Facility in Kyiv Region Confirms Russian Drone Damage President Volodymyr Zelensky called the strike on the company’s facility “a clear Russian signal to America.” Later, Honcharenko clarified that the reported strike hit two old Soviet Yak-40 planes, which had not flown since before the start of the full-scale war. “In essence, Putin is sending a signal to the Americans – I don’t want to negotiate and I won’t. Otherwise, why this demonstrative strike? Obviously, he is also aware of the idea that Witkoff and Kushner were supposed to fly from Moscow to Kyiv,” Honcharenko added. At present, apart from Honcharenko’s reports, there is no official information confirming that planes were destroyed at Zhulyany Airport during the drone attack. The information that Trump’s envoys were supposed to arrive in Kyiv by plane also remains officially unconfirmed. In a statement published Sept. 3, Zelensky said his negotiating team had remained in near-constant contact with US counterparts while preparing for the envoys visit. “We have confirmation from them: there will be a meeting in Moscow, as well as one in Kyiv,” Zelensky said, adding that “it is important that America continues to remain actively engaged.” The visit has been in the works since late July, when Kushner and Witkoff reportedly agreed to travel to Kyiv for the first time following Zelensky’s meetings with US President Donald Trump at the White House. Both envoys have played central roles in Trump’s claimed efforts to broker an end to Russia’s war and have maintained extensive contacts with Russian officials. Their visit to Ukraine would mark the first time either envoy has traveled there since becoming Washington’s intermediaries. Zelensky has repeatedly argued that seeing the consequences of Russia’s attacks firsthand is necessary to understand Ukraine’s military and security needs. The visit is expected to focus primarily on efforts to restart trilateral talks between Ukraine, the US and Russia. On Wednesday, Sept. 2, Russian leader Vladimir Putin signaled a possible shift from his repeated rejection of peace proposals, saying there were still prospects for Russia and Ukraine to reach an agreement. He also said other countries, including the US, should support the process while limiting their role until Russia and Ukraine “first reach an agreement with each other.” Zelensky held a separate phone call with Kushner and Witkoff on Monday, Aug. 31, describing the discussion as “detailed and constructive.” “This trip would be very useful for working out decisions toward peace,” he said. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.