Witkoff and Kushner will travel to ‘end’ Russia’s war in Ukraine: Trump

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Russia and Ukraine this weekend to help restart peace negotiations.

US President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday [Kent Nishimura/AFP]

United States President Donald Trump said that US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are travelling this weekend in an attempt to revive peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.

On Friday, while speaking at the White House, Trump said Witkoff and his son-in-law Kushner, who are preparing to travel to Kyiv and Moscow this weekend, are bringing a proposal to “end the war”.

list 1 of 3 Ten injured in Ukraine as Kyiv expects talks with US envoys in coming days

list 2 of 3 US envoys headed to Russia and Ukraine to relaunch mediation

list 3 of 3 Russian drone strikes Ukraine’s security service headquarters

“I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner … to see whether or not we can get something done,” Trump said. “And there may be a good chance that we’ll do it.”

“We have an idea for peace,” Trump added without mentioning any specifics about his administration’s plan.

According to Russian state news agency TASS, Witkoff and Kushner will be in Moscow on Saturday and Sunday, their first visit since January.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said the duo would be in Ukraine on Sunday, marking their first visit to the country since Trump returned to power.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently said negotiations were “frozen”. But this weekend’s expected talks come as both sides continue to ramp up air attacks, with Russia hitting the headquarters of Ukraine’s SBU security services on Friday.

At least 12 people were injured in the strike, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

Al Jazeera’s Audrey MacAlpine, reporting from Kyiv, said that while people weren’t shocked the SBU building was hit, it has made them wonder what target might be next.

“It’s not so much that people never expected the SBU to be hit, but it really raises the question of if Russia can hit this, what else can it hit?” she said. “Some people here are wondering whether this attack, for example, could be aimed at possibly dissuading” the US envoys’ trips to Ukraine.

Trump told reporters Friday that a peace deal in the more than four-year conflict has remained elusive due to what he described as a “personality problem” between both sides.

“President Zelenskyy and President Putin truly hate each other,” Trump said. “They have serious hate, and it’s getting in the way.”

While exact figures are unknown, a study released in July by the Center for Strategic and International Studies says the war has cost Russia some 450,000 lives. Ukraine is estimated to have endured between 125,000 and 150,000 fatalities.

史蒂夫·威特科夫和贾里德·库什纳将于本周末前往俄罗斯和乌克兰，帮助重启和平谈判。

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普周五在白宫椭圆形办公室发表讲话 [肯特·西村/法新社]

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普表示，美国特使史蒂夫·威特科夫和贾里德·库什纳将于本周末前往乌克兰，试图重启乌克兰和俄罗斯之间的和平谈判。

周五，特朗普在白宫发表讲话时表示，威特科夫和他的女婿库什纳正准备本周末前往基辅和莫斯科，他们带来了一项“结束战争”的提议。

乌克兰十人受伤，基辅方面预计将在未来几天与美国特使举行会谈（列表1/3）

列出前往俄罗斯和乌克兰重启调解的三名美国特使中的第二名

俄罗斯无人机袭击乌克兰安全局总部（共3条，此为第3条）

特朗普说：“我派了史蒂夫·威特科夫和贾里德·库什纳……去看看我们能不能做成一件事。很有可能我们会成功。”

“我们有一个和平方案，”特朗普补充道，但没有提及他所在政府计划的任何具体细节。

据俄罗斯国家通讯社塔斯社报道，维特科夫和库什纳将于周六和周日访问莫斯科，这是他们自1月份以来的首次访问。

乌克兰总统泽连斯基也表示，两人将于周日访问乌克兰，这将是特朗普重返政坛以来他们首次访问该国。

俄罗斯总统普京近日表示谈判“冻结”。但本周末预计将举行的会谈正值双方持续加大空袭力度之际，俄罗斯于周五袭击了乌克兰国家安全局（SBU）总部。

基辅市长维塔利·克利奇科表示，罢工造成至少 12 人受伤。

半岛电视台记者奥黛丽·麦克阿尔平从基辅报道称，虽然人们对乌克兰国家安全局大楼遭到袭击并不感到震惊，但这让他们不禁想知道下一个目标会是什么。

“人们并非从未预料到乌克兰国家安全局会遭到袭击，但这确实引发了一个问题：如果俄罗斯能袭击这里，它还能袭击什么？”她说道。“例如，有些人怀疑这次袭击是否意在阻止”美国特使访问乌克兰。

特朗普周五告诉记者，这场持续四年多的冲突仍未能达成和平协议，原因是双方存在他所说的“性格问题”。

特朗普说：“泽连斯基总统和普京总统彼此憎恨。他们之间存在着严重的仇恨，这正在阻碍他们的合作。”

虽然确切数字尚不清楚，但战略与国际研究中心7月份发布的一项研究表明，这场战争已导致俄罗斯约45万人丧生。据估计，乌克兰的死亡人数在12.5万至15万人之间。