Ukraine proposes temporary ceasefire as Kushner, Witkoff visit Moscow
What's the story
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed a temporary ceasefire with Russia. The proposal comes as United States envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are set to visit Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend. The visits are part of efforts to negotiate a possible peace deal to end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Ceasefire proposal
Russia must not carry out airstrikes: Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy confirmed the US envoys' visit in a Telegram post.
He said, "The details are from the American President's team. We discussed today that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Moscow, and on Sunday they will visit Kyiv."
The Ukrainian president proposed a ceasefire during this period, asking Russia to refrain from airstrikes while negotiations take place.
Safe passage
Russian airspace will remain open for US envoys' arrival
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian diplomats had held a meeting to ensure the safety of the US envoys.
He said it was decided that Russian airspace would remain open for their arrival.
"There will be no air strikes from our side, and Russia must mirror this by ensuring silence without its air strikes for the time needed to hold these negotiations," he said.
Envoy safety
Ukraine more concerned about US envoys than Russia
Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine is more concerned about the safety of the US envoys than Russia.
He said, "Ukraine cares about the envoys and not Russia," adding that he wants "real options" to end the war.
The conflict between the two neighboring countries has been raging for four-and-a-half years. In addition, Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
Airstrike aftermath
Russia targets Ukraine's intelligence service headquarters amid peace talks
The ceasefire proposal comes after Russia launched an airstrike on Ukraine's intelligence service headquarters. The strike reportedly targeted the office of the intelligence chief.
Despite this, Zelenskyy remains hopeful for peace talks through the upcoming US envoys' visit. He wrote, "We'll see what proposals Steve and Jared have and what Moscow will say to them."