Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday proposed a temporary ceasefire with Russia even as Trump envoys visit Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend to hold talks on war. US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are scheduled to visit Moscow and Kyiv on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, to hold talk about a possible peace deal to bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine war.
There will be no air strikes from our side: Zelenskyy
“There will be no air strikes from our side, and Russia must mirror this by ensuring silence without its air strikes for the time needed to hold these negotiations and resolve the logistical issues associated with this American visit,” Zelensky said, proposing the ceasefire.
He further stated that Ukraine cares about the envoys and “not Russia”, adding that the country wants “real options” to bring an end to the war that has been continuing for four-and-a-half years. “We’ll see what proposals Steve and Jared have and what Moscow will say to them,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
Zelenskyy says US envoys will be in Ukraine and Russia in coming days
He said, “Today, it has been clearly established that US envoys will be in Ukraine and Russia in the coming days. We have the details from the U.S. President’s team. We discussed today that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Moscow and then Kyiv on Sunday. We are preparing for the visit. 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. 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. Our goal is to make the visit and the talks with the U.S. side as constructive and substantive as possible. We need to look for real options for how to move this war toward an end. We will see what proposals Steve and Jared bring and what they are told in Moscow in response.”
Russia conducts midday airstrike on Ukraine
It is significant to note that Zelensky’s proposal for ceasefire comes on a day when Russia conducted a midday airstrike on Ukraine’s intelligence service headquarters, which the Ukrainian President said had targeted the intelligence chief’s office.
The Ukraine President said the visits of the Trump envoys in a post on Telegram. “The details are from the American President’s team. We discussed today that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Moscow and on Sunday they will visit Kyiv.”
The development comes as Russian attacks overnight killed at least three people in Ukraine, local officials said on Friday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was expecting US envoys in Kyiv in the coming days as part of renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war.
The air war between Russia and Ukraine has intensified as the conflict stretches into its fifth year following Moscow’s invasion of its neighbour. Russian forces have relentlessly struck civilian areas. Previously, these attacks occurred mostly at night, but now they are happening during the day as well. The front line in eastern and southern Ukraine remains largely deadlocked.
US envoys expected to meet in Kyiv
Even as US efforts to negotiate a settlement have yet to produce a path to peace, in his nightly address on Thursday Zelenskyy said that preliminary dates have been set for meetings in both Moscow and Kyiv. Ukraine’s negotiating team is in near-constant contact with the US side and preparing for talks, he said.
In the meantime, Russian state news agency Tass reported on Friday that American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would visit Moscow first, then Kyiv on Saturday and Sunday, though this could not be independently verified.
Also Read:
Jaishankar meets Zelenskyy in Kyiv, says talks centered on approaches to end the ongoing conflict
