The two envoys have travelled to Moscow on multiple occasions since Trump returned to office, but Sunday would be their first visit to Kyiv. Delegations from Ukraine have attended talks in the US over the past 18 months.
Russian state media, citing the Kremlin, reported that Putin had ordered no strikes on Kyiv for three days, starting at midnight tonight, due to the US visit.
Earlier on Saturday, Zelensky said Russia had fired “demonstrative” strikes on airports in Kyiv and Boryspil overnight ahead of his planned meeting with the US.
Ukraine’s president added: “Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the US side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine and land at Kyiv Airport or Boryspil Airport.”
Ukraine’s airspace has been closed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Zelensky said on Friday he would guarantee the safety of Russian airspace during the envoys’ visit and called for Russia to do the same for Ukraine.
He also said an overnight Russian strike on a civilian building in the Dnipro region killed four people and injured five others.
Witkoff and Kushner’s visit to Moscow comes just over a week after a rare visit to the Russian capital by the head of the CIA, John Ratcliffe.
There was no official comment from Washington or the Kremlin on what was discussed. Speaking last week, Trump described the meeting as “semi-routine”.
Last year, the US, Ukraine and Russia separately suggested that a deal to end the war was edging closer following a flurry of talks brokered by the Americans.
European allies also held talks in Paris but discussions ultimately ended without a breakthrough. Key disagreements remain between the warring sides on issues such as territory and security guarantees for Ukraine.
In recent months, both Russia and Ukraine have intensified their aerial attacks as fighting continues.
Ukraine said it has struggled to repel attacks due to a lack of interceptor missiles, while Kyiv has focused its strikes on Russian economic infrastructure targets.
