Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has called on Russia to halt air attacks on Ukraine while US peace negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visit Kyiv on Sunday. Zelenskyy said Ukraine would guarantee the safety of Russian airspace during the envoys’ visit after their stop in Moscow.
The proposed pause follows a Russian drone strike on the headquarters of Ukraine’s SBU intelligence agency in Kyiv, which injured at least nine people, and a series of deadly attacks elsewhere in Ukraine. US president Donald Trump said he had sent Witkoff and Kushner as negotiators because Washington had “an idea for peace”.
What the proposed air pause would cover
Zelenskyy said Russia should also stop its air attacks during the negotiators’ visit. The New York Times reported that Washington had asked both sides for a ceasefire while the envoys were in the region, but the supplied information does not establish that either side has agreed to one.
The expected itinerary takes Witkoff and Kushner to Moscow before Kyiv. Kushner is Trump’s son-in-law, while Witkoff works in real estate. Zelenskyy said he had called for safety guarantees for Russian airspace during their travel. For additional context, see “Macron pledges faster French missile deliveries as Ukraine faces intensified Russian attacks”.
Strikes reported across Ukraine and Russia
The SBU headquarters in Kyiv was directly hit by a Russian drone on Friday. Zelenskyy said the drone was aimed at the office of the head of the security service, and instructed the SBU to deliver an “appropriate, tangible response”. Foreign minister Andrii Sybiha called the incident a “major escalation”.
A Russian strike in Kamianske killed four people and wounded five, including a 30-year-old woman in intensive care. In Dnipro, two police officers were killed, while a drone strike on a residential building in Kyiv wounded three people. A “massive” attack on the Odesa region damaged several residential buildings, including two multistorey blocks.
Russian officials said a large Ukrainian drone strike hit Sochi and the nearby Sirius district, starting a fire at an oil depot. Russian media reported that two oil depots were hit. Finnish authorities were separately investigating a Russian-made Geoscan 701 drone found on the shore in the Pellinge archipelago east of Helsinki; they said it was not yet possible to identify its operator or intended use.
Air travel and humanitarian concerns
Air Tanzania said it was suspending its Dar es Salaam–Moscow service from Friday after a routine risk assessment of the operating environment along the route. It became the first airline identified in the supplied information to take that step after Zelenskyy warned that Russian skies were unsafe because of Ukraine’s retaliatory drone attacks. A related part of this story is covered in “US envoys plan Kyiv and Moscow visits to revive negotiations”.
A World Health Organization warehouse containing humanitarian medical supplies was struck during an air attack on the Kyiv region. A WHO spokesperson said attacks had affected at least 20 depots storing humanitarian goods, including healthcare supplies, in 2026.
Political pressure beyond the battlefield
Louis Aliot, vice-president of France’s far-right National Rally, said France would “turn off the tap” to Ukraine if the party came to power. He said the party condemned Russian aggression but believed the war had weakened Europe. Former French prime minister Edouard Philippe responded that cutting support would serve Russia and threaten European and French security. Marine Le Pen said her party was seeking a diplomatic resolution.
Elena Zhemkova, head of Russia’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning rights group Memorial, said she feared a sharp deterioration after September’s legislative elections, including more arrests and people being sent to fight in Ukraine. Memorial has been declared illegal and Zhemkova is in exile. The development of this issue can be followed in “Zelenskyy calls Kyiv spy-service shootout ‘absolutely shameful’”.
What happens next
Witkoff and Kushner are expected to travel to Kyiv on Sunday after their visit to Moscow. The supplied information does not confirm whether Russia or Ukraine has accepted a ceasefire for their visit.
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