Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's special envoys, have arrived in Moscow with a significant diplomatic agenda to negotiate a peace solution in Ukraine. Hosted by Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev, the US diplomats aim to hold high-level talks in Russia before traveling to Kiev.

In the context of the arrival of Washington's emissaries, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the suspension of all military strikes on Ukrainian territory for the next 3 days. Witkoff and Kushner's meetings foresee direct talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow and then a trip to Kiev to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

President Trump confirmed the launch of this mission, expressing optimism about the possibility of a diplomatic breakthrough:

"I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two great negotiators, to see if we can get something done. It could be a good chance. They're bringing with them a proposal to end the war. We have an idea for peace," Trump said.

Despite the moves, territorial concessions remain the main stumbling block, and there are doubts whether the Russian leader will accept a ceasefire along the current front lines.

The peace efforts come at a delicate moment, with talks suspended due to Washington's clashes with Iran and the intensification of long-range attacks between Russia and Ukraine, which have increased the number of civilian casualties.

Behind the scenes of these negotiations, CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow in late August to pressure Russian officials toward a deal. According to media reports, during this visit Ratcliffe also delivered a stern warning to Moscow against any attack or provocation against NATO member states.