Trump says envoys taking plan to ‘end the war’ to Moscow, Kyiv

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HOUSTON, TEXAS – AUGUST 28: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to astronauts aboard the International Space Station as he visits NASA’s Mission Control Center? following a ceremony honoring Artemis II crew members at Johnson Space Center on August 28, 2026 in Houston, Texas. Artemis II crew members, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, traveled further into space than any other humans before on the first crewed mission around the moon in more than 50 years. Win McNamee/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by WIN MCNAMEE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

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US President Donald Trump said Friday that he was sending envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to Moscow and Kyiv with a proposal to end the four-year-old Ukraine war.

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“They’re bringing with them a proposal to end the war,” Trump told reporters when asked about this weekend’s trip by his son-in-law Kushner and businessman friend Witkoff.

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Trump would not say whether the plan involved Ukraine ceding territory as he has previously suggested but added: “We have an idea for peace.”

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It will be the first time that Kushner and Witkoff have visited war-torn Kyiv since Trump returned to office last year with a vow to end the Ukraine war. Both US envoys have previously visited Moscow.

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“I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two great negotiators. They’ve done a great job, and we sent them over to see whether or not we can get something done. And there may be a good chance that we’ll do it,” he said.

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The US leader blamed the war that began with Russia invading Ukraine in February 2022 on a “personality problem” between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

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Zelensky earlier said he had proposed observing a ceasefire with Russia while the US envoys visit Moscow and Kyiv.

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“There will be no airstrikes on our part, and Russia must reciprocally ensure a ceasefire — without its own airstrikes — for the duration needed to conduct these talks,” Zelensky said in his evening address.

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Trump meanwhile played down Germany’s move earlier this week to blame Russia for an attempted drone attack on an airport.

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“I speak to him. I know him very well. Putin’s not looking to attack NATO territory,” Trump said in the Oval Office when an AFP reporter asked him about the German allegation.

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