Trump Sends Envoys to Putin and Zelensky with Peace Plan as Raids Continue

American President Donald Trump has dispatched Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on a diplomatic mission to Moscow and Kyiv with a "proposal to end the war" between Russia and Ukraine. The mission occurs against a backdrop of continuous escalation: a Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine's domestic intelligence agency in Kyiv, while cross-border attacks persist, resulting in casualties in Odesa and Kherson from Russian strikes, and Ukrainian raids on Sochi.

The visit by the American emissaries unfolds amid conflicting statements: Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov ruled out direct security agreements during the visit, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for "an end to the raids." Meanwhile, Tanzania has become the first foreign airline to officially suspend flights to Moscow following Zelensky's threats to make Russian airspace "completely unsafe."

The mission by Witkoff and Kushner comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin had mentioned the possibility of resolving the conflict, but the positions between the parties remain "very far apart." Trump emphasized his personal relationship with Putin, stating that the Russian leader "has no intention of attacking NATO territories," while describing the relationship between Putin and Zelensky as characterized by mutual hatred.

The conflict continues to wear down both sides with cross-border raids in the Black Sea and small Russian advances on the ground, such as the recent capture of the village of Gruzskoye in Donetsk. Ukrainian media claim that the Russians attempted to discourage the Ukrainian leg of the American emissaries' visit, even suggesting the cancellation of the mission to Kyiv. The complexity of the situation is heightened by recent statements from Putin, who described Zelensky's threats regarding Russian airspace as "state terrorism."