U.S. envoys to make Ukraine peace push with Russia pessimistic

U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff attend a news conference in Islamabad in April. | Pool / via REUTERS

BLOOMBERG

Sep 5, 2026

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to arrive in Moscow on Saturday with a proposal to end the yearslong conflict with Ukraine, though Russia expressed pessimism about the prospects of the trip resulting in any sort of deal.

Expectations are extremely low for the visit, according to people close to Kremlin. Previous trips to Russia by Witkoff and Kushner failed to achieve progress and there’s no reason to believe they’re bringing acceptable proposals now, they said.

President Vladimir Putin is ready to stop the war only on his terms and Russia’s demands are getting tougher because it believes it has the military advantage, the people said, asking not to be identified because the matter is sensitive.

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