▲ Jared Kushner, eldest son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff
Russia carried out an airstrike on an airport in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv just before a U.S. delegation visited Russia and Ukraine successively.
On the 5th (local time), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated, "Overnight, there were demonstrative Russian airstrips against airports in Kyiv and Boryspil, Ukraine," adding that "it was a deliberate airstrike after a long time."
President Zelenskyy said that the attack appeared to target the possibility that the U.S. delegation might land at the Kyiv or Boryspil airports when visiting Ukraine, noting that Russia used Iranian-made Shahed drones in the attack.
Steve Witkoff, special envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump, and Jared Kushner, President Trump's eldest son-in-law, are scheduled to first visit Moscow on this day to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and then travel to Kyiv on the 6th to meet with President Zelenskyy.
The previous day, President Zelenskyy had stated that in line with their visit, he would guarantee the normal operation of Russian airspace.
According to TASS and RIA Novosti news agencies, a U.S. government C-32A aircraft that took off from Finland entered Russian airspace at around 11:40 a.m. on this day, and it is highly likely that Special Envoy Witkoff and Kushner were aboard the plane.
On this day, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, when asked about the U.S. delegation's schedule, responded, "What is important is how willing the U.S. administration is to invest in finding practical solutions to the current crisis, taking into account the local situation and various other factors."
At the same time, he emphasized, "Not only the root causes (of the conflict), but also the situation that continues to turn unfavorably for the Kyiv side must be taken into account."
Deputy Minister Ryabkov pointed out, "Looking at the situation that has unfolded since the Anchorage summit (between the U.S. and Russia), there are many questions about whether the U.S. will be able to approach the various issues that need to be resolved rationally and avoid falling for the maneuvers of disruptive forces."
This visit is drawing attention as it takes place ten days after CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow on August 26 to meet with heads of Russian intelligence agencies.
The previous day, President Trump said that Special Envoy Witkoff and Kushner are scheduled to present a new peace proposal to Russia and Ukraine, adding, "There might be a pretty good chance we can pull it off."
However, according to a Bloomberg report on this day, Kremlin officials said their expectations for this schedule are low, stating, "There was no progress during previous visits, and there is no reason to believe that they are bringing an acceptable proposal this time."
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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