Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine will halt strikes on Moscow if Russia stops hitting Kyiv, as U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner land in Moscow with a proposal to end the war. Russia has already announced a 72-hour halt to airstrikes on Kyiv, and prediction markets now put higher odds on a ceasefire by year-end.
Zelensky said via social media that Ukraine is willing to halt strikes on Moscow if Russia stops attacking Kyiv. The same day, Witkoff and Kushner touched down at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport, carrying what President Trump called a "proposal to end the war."
Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev met the pair on the tarmac. Russia then announced a 72-hour halt to airstrikes on Kyiv starting at midnight, a direct response to Zelensky's request for a temporary ceasefire during the talks.
Envoys head to Kyiv next
Witkoff and Kushner are scheduled to fly to Kyiv on September 6, which would be their first visit to Ukraine's capital. Trump had announced a day earlier that his envoys would carry a formal peace proposal, reportedly a revised version of earlier U.S. frameworks incorporating input from European allies and Ukrainian officials.
However, the core disputes haven't moved. The Kremlin has said Putin's demands on territory, security guarantees, and NATO-related concerns remain unchanged. Earlier rounds of talks in Miami in late 2025 and in Moscow in January 2026 fizzled without progress, as U.S. attention shifted toward the conflict with Iran and the war entered its fifth year.
Kushner's presence alongside Witkoff carries its own weight: he played a prominent role in Middle East diplomacy during Trump's first term, including brokering the Abraham Accords.
Ceasefire odds climb in prediction markets
Prediction markets tracked by Vera now price a 25.5% chance of a ceasefire agreement by December 31, 2026, up from 18% a day earlier. The shift suggests traders see rising odds of de-escalation between the two capitals, though no formal ceasefire is yet in place.
Observers are watching for reciprocal statements from Russian officials and any role played by mediators such as the United States, factors that could further influence ceasefire agreement probabilities.
Sources: Crypto Briefing, Crypto Briefing
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