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

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”.

“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.