Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday accused Russia of carrying out “demonstrative strikes” on airports in Kiev and Boryspil overnight ahead of a planned visit to the Ukrainian capital by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
“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 Kiev Airport or Boryspil Airport,” Zelenskyy wrote on the US social media platform X.
He said Moscow had deliberately targeted the airports “for the first time in a while”.
“Russian-Iranian ‘shaheds’ in response to American diplomacy,” he said.
“We have taken note of this Russian move, and next week we will adjust our operation accordingly regarding Russian airspace, which has become dangerous because of our drones and missiles in the sky.”
Zelenskyy said Kiev would not allow threats to undermine diplomacy on its part, stressing that Ukraine was interested in bringing peace closer.
“Russia will be held accountable for what it does,” he added.
Witkoff, Kushner in Moscow
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday for talks aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
According to the agency, a special jet carrying the two US envoys landed at Vnukovo Airport.
Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev arrived at the airport to meet the American representatives, the agency reported.
Zelenskyy said Witkoff and Kushner would visit Kiev on Sunday following their trip to Moscow.
Neither envoy has previously visited Kiev, although both have made several trips to Moscow since US-mediated talks began.
Their latest visit was on January 22, when they met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.
Meanwhile, five people were killed and five others wounded in Ukrainian strikes over the past 24 hours in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's Luhansk region, Leonid Pasechnik, the Russian governor, said on Saturday.
