Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Donald Trump’s envoys held “very important” discussions with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday in Kyiv. They had similar talks the day before in Moscow with Vladimir Putin to end the conflict in Ukraine.
Witkoff told reporters that the initial talks with Zelenskyy were “substantial” and “important.”
He added, “We feel very optimistic.”
Kushner said in a separate comment that Trump is “very determined” to end this war.
The specifics on any proposed solution to the conflict were not given by either party.
They arrived by train in Kyiv on Sunday morning after a flight to Poland from Moscow.
Ukraine has been, and always will be constructive. Before the meeting, Zelenskyy stated on social media that Ukraine had “ready proposals.”
The visits will take place over the weekend. Both Russia and Ukraine have agreed not to launch aerial attacks against each other’s respective capitals. This has brought a temporary respite to the cities. However, there is no wider ceasefire in place.
Washington has been trying to resolve the conflict for nearly five years, but momentum was slowed down by the Iran War.
The front line has seen little movement in recent months, but the talks are taking place ahead of a winter that will be difficult for Kyiv. It is currently facing a shortage of U.S. made interceptor missiles capable of repelling Russian attacks against its energy infrastructure.
Witkoff, Trump’s daughter-in-law and Kushner are believed to have made their first visit to Kyiv on Sunday as part of an effort to promote peace. Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law, has been to Moscow multiple times. His most recent visit was in January when he met with Putin at Kremlin.
Witkoff appeared to have struck a warm tone with Putin on Saturday. He told Putin in a video released by Russia’s state owned news outlet RIA Novosti that he and the Russian delegation were reflecting about how, “when we retire…we’ll have incredible stories and memories…and yours will right at the very top.”
Putin’s public statements did not indicate any change in his demands for Ukraine. These were very steep and demanded major concessions. In the video he praised Witkoff, Kushner, saying: “Working with you has been a pleasant experience, and I would say we have a great deal of confidence in you during this process.”
Witkoff, who met Zelenskyy on Sunday, also praised the Ukrainian leader for his “unsurpassed” hospitality.
The White House said that “substantive plans” for next steps in ending the war was at the heart of the discussions.
The official told NBC News that the next steps will be revealed in the coming week, and the U.S. delegates are looking forward to having “equally fruitful meetings” with Ukrainian delegates.
The officials added that representatives from the National Security Council and State Department, as well as the Treasury Department, attended the Saturday meeting, which lasted for more than three-hours.
Yury Ushakov, a Putin’s aide, told Russian media that Sunday the “informal dining room setting” was “substantive and constructive,” and “extremely frank, open and trustworthy.” He noted that it was the 8th time that the U.S. delegation had visited Russia, and that Putin extended “best wishes to Trump”.
Zelenskyy stated that Kyiv aimed to achieve the “most substantive, constructive visit, and negotiation with the American party possible.”
He said: “We will see what Steve and Jared propose, and how they hear about it in Moscow.”
In remarks made following the weekly Angelus Sunday prayer, Pope Leo XIV expressed his hope that these talks “would bear concrete fruit and create space for diplomacy.”
He said that his heart went out to those who have suffered for many years in fear and anguish. “I renew my appeal to end the violence and stop the destruction, and open our hearts to dialogue and peace,” he added.
Before the talks began, Russia intensified its bombardments of Kyiv, and other Ukrainian cities, taking advantage of Ukraine’s lack of air defence systems.
The Russian drone that struck the Ukraine Security Service (SBU), one of Russia’s agencies responsible for deep strike operations, on Friday, was one of Kyiv’s most important government building.
Zelenskyy posted on social media Saturday that Russia launched strikes overnight at the international airports of Kyiv, Boryspil, and linked the attack with the U.S. trip.
He said: “Clearly, the Russian attacks on airports were a response to discussions and preparations regarding the possible use of an American aircraft by the U.S. to fly to Ukraine.”
Kyiv has “taken notice of this Russian action” and will “adjust the operation in accordance with Russian airspace which is dangerous due to our drones, and missiles flying above.”
In a Friday morning press conference in the Oval Office where he spoke with journalists, Trump stated that Kushner had done a great job in his efforts to advance the peace process in preparation for their trips to Moscow and Kyiv.
He said, “We sent the team over to check if we could get anything done.” There’s a chance we will do it.

According to a Saturday report submitted to the Federal Election Commission, the Donald Trump-aligned MAGA Inc. Super PAC intends to spend millions in the Texas Senate Race.
MAGA Inc. is reportedly spending $10,000,000 on television and digital advertising in this race. The filing suggests that the group will target state Rep. James Talarico as the Democratic candidate for Senate in Texas.
This new spending is coming as Republicans are calling on Trump’s political machine to be more active in midterm elections, especially in Texas, where Attorney General Ken Paxton beat Republican Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP primaries earlier this year, after Trump had endorsed Paxton.
Some of Cornyn’s Senate GOP co-workers have expressed concern that Paxton may have an easier time in the general election because of his past controversy.
Paxton, a Republican state representative in the 2023 legislative session of the House of Representatives was impeached on charges of corruption and misappropriation of trust. He was acquitted after trial by the State Senate. Paxton’s state senator wife Angela Paxton announced last year that she filed for divorce with the attorney general on “biblical grounds” in light of new discoveries. She declined to elaborate.
The events of the past two weeks have caused some Texas Republicans to doubt Paxton’s ability to win an statewide election. This is especially true this year as Republicans are hoping to keep their majority in both the House and Senate.
John Thune (R-S.D. ), Senate Majority leader, urged Trump’s campaign to invest in Texas where he estimated that advertising there costs around $8 million per week.
Thune, a Fox News commentator this week, said that “their resources must be focused on Texas as it is a state we cannot lose” if we want to hold on to the Republican majority.
Four people who were involved with GOP strategy said that the majority leader made his comments as Republicans focused on winning the House and Senate in the midterm elections became frustrated by the lack of involvement from the President in the campaign.
One person said, “President Trump is aware that he must care about midterm elections and the success or the party.” It’s still too early to say whether Trump did enough.
Republicans in particular have asked the president to use a portion of his MAGA Inc. campaign fund as soon as possible on Senate elections, especially Texas.
“The President said he was going to run for office and he would spend money,” a GOP operative who is involved in the midterm campaign told NBC News. Time will show if it was a mistake to wait so long.
Trump announced on Wednesday that he would travel to support GOP candidates across the nation, including Paxton. This is ahead of the November midterm elections.
The president said to reporters, “We are going to Texas to work with Ken Paxton. He’s an amazing guy.”
Adding: “You may not like how he looks.” He addressed the recent criticism aimed at Paxton’s clothing. His look might not be to your taste. “You might not like his TV interviews but the fact that he is the best Attorney General in the nation speaks louder than that suit that doesn’t seem so good.”
MAGA Inc. reported that it had over $400 million on hand as of the 31st July, according to its most recent report.
This week, the group started airing national TV advertisements highlighting Trump’s agenda.
The president told reporters on Friday that he would use the war chest of MAGA Inc. to boost Republican candidates during the midterms.
“I’m sure I have close to a bazillion dollars in my super PAC and I will be allocating $400-500 million.” “I’ll spend, and we’ll spend,” he stated.
Trump later added, “I will contribute to the campaigns of Republicans I believe are great.” Trump said, “I’m going spend as much money as necessary to help us. I will give to people that I believe are good and who I know can or want to win.”

The Russian president Vladimir Putin and the U.S. representatives Steve Witkoff & Jared Kushner met at the Kremlin Saturday to discuss a way to restart the stalled effort to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Both sides intensified their aerial attacks at the time of the envoys visit. Both Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to stop strikes against each other’s capitols during the talks.
Washington has lost its momentum in the fight to stop the war as the United States has focused on the Iran conflict for the last six months. Witkoff, Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law and Kushner last visited Moscow in January when they met with Putin.
First trip for American emissaries to Kyiv
Ukrainian officials announced that both U.S. peace envoys would visit Kyiv on Sunday for the very first time during the process of the Peace Process.
Putin told Kushner, Witkoff, and Kushner to convey his gratitude and warm wishes to Trump. He also described the Ukraine situation as “not easy.” Russian forces invaded Ukraine in full force on February 24, 2022.
Dmitry Peskov, the presidential spokesperson who spoke to Russia’s Tass News Agency, said that Vladimir Putin (Russian president) has ordered no attacks against Kyiv in three days starting today at midnight.
Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is prepared to stop strikes against Moscow until Monday. Zelenskyy said that he had spoken to the U.S. delegation on Saturday after they arrived in Moscow.
He said that “from now until the end of the weekend, Sunday, and Monday we are ready to abstain from any strikes against Moscow and expect the Russians do the same towards Kyiv.”
Tass reports that Russian ambassador Kirill Dmitriev met the U.S. delegation at Moscow’s airport. Dmitriev posted photos with the caption “Welcome Peacemakers to Moscow” of his meeting the U.S. envoys as they debarked.
The peace process is at a standstill
Russia, having failed to achieve peace, has increased its bombardments on Kyiv, and other major cities, which have continued into the daylight, exploiting Ukraine’s lack of air defence systems.
A Russian drone struck one of Kyiv’s most important government building on Friday — the SBU headquarters, the Ukraine Security Service. The SBU is one of several agencies that are involved in deep strike operations in Russia.
Ukraine’s long-range attacks have targeted Russian oil refineries, military bases, and electronic commerce hubs in an effort to weaken the Kremlin’s war efforts and economy as well as making ordinary citizens suffer the effects of war.
Zelenskyy links Russian attacks to the visit of envoys
As troops struggle to advance along the frontline of 1,250 kilometers (775 miles), there has been an intensification in the air war. Russia is now using jet-powered drones that fly fast. The constant shrieking of the air raid sirens in Kyiv has also become a part of everyday life.
Zelenskyy posted on social media on Saturday that Russia carried out strikes overnight on the international airports of Kyiv, Boryspil, and connected the attack with the planned U.S. trip.
He said: “Clearly, the Russian attacks on airports were a response to discussions and preparations regarding the possible use of an American aircraft by the U.S. to fly to Ukraine.”
We have noted this Russian action and will be adjusting our operations accordingly next week regarding Russian airspace that has now become unsafe because of our missiles and drones flying in the skies. There are no diplomatic threats from us.
Russian attacks kill many civilians across Ukraine
Oleksandr Hansha, the local head of military administration in Dnipropetrovsk Region, Ukraine’s south Dnipropetrovsk area said that five people were killed and five injured by Russians at a industrial facility. Oleksandr Hanzha said that the victims were employees of the industrial site.
Locksmith, electrician, plumber, and machinist. They were people with peaceful occupations. The workers were just doing their job. When enemy missiles took their lives, they were just doing their jobs.
Hanzha reported that a 62-year old man suffered injuries, as well as damage to several houses and an apartment block, during a separate incident in the Nikopol District of the region.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday that they had struck two metal-processing plants in the area, calling them “major providers of metal products to Ukraine’s defense production.”
Oleh Simiehubov, the regional administrator, said that a Russian drone struck Chuhuiv, a Ukrainian town in eastern Kharkiv, injuring and killing three people.
A 19-year old woman, a boy of 11 years and a man aged 45 were the victims. Syniehubov stated that the strike had destroyed a residence, a shed and garage. As local authorities searched for additional victims, firefighters were fighting a fire.
Local officials reported that two people died and one was injured in Saturday’s Russian drone strike on Bucha, a Ukrainian district located within the Kyiv Region. Tymur Tkachenko, the head of regional military administration in Ukraine’s Kyiv region said earlier on Saturday that two people had been wounded during an attack overnight on the Bucha district.
Tkachenko reported that as of Saturday night, 28 buildings in five districts had been damaged. He said that the damage included apartment and private buildings, as well as warehouses, railroad tracks, an agricultural company’s land, and vehicles.
Ukraine’s emergency services reported that Russian forces repeatedly attacked a shopping centre in southern Mykolaiv with drones over the course of the night, damaging retail establishments and causing fires. Two people, a 72-year old man and a girl aged 17 were injured.
The emergency services stated that the crews who responded to the attacks were forced to retreat repeatedly to safety due to the danger of more strikes and returned whenever the conditions permitted.
Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia had launched missiles and sent 167 drones to attack Ukraine overnight from Rostov-Voronezh. These drones were a mix of Shahed aircraft (around half jet powered) as well as Geran drones and decoys. According to Ukrainian air forces, Ukrainian air defences have shot down or suppressed at least 128 drones.
Local authorities reported that two Ukrainians were killed in an attack on Russia’s Belrogod Region, near the Ukraine border, and three other people injured on Saturday.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced that it had destroyed 53 Ukrainian drones in the past night.
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A spacecraft carrying European probes and Japanese probes started the high-risk, months-long approach to Mercury to study this sun-scorched world on Thursday.
BepiColombo, a mission launched in 2018, set out from Earth on a winding route to study our solar system’s smallest planet. The goal was to release the two probes in its orbit.
The European Space Agency (ESA), which describes it as “the most operationally difficult planetary landing sequences that have ever been attempted,” began the arrival phase on Thursday.
Mercury is a small planet, only a little bigger than the Moon. Its gravitational attraction is weaker than that of the Sun. This makes it difficult for spacecrafts to reach the planet and not end up being incinerated in space or getting lost.
Santa Martinez, ESA’s mission manager, said at a press conference before the arrival of its spacecraft, “It is a very ambitious project.”
It was necessary to perform nine flybys in order to accelerate, slow down or perfect the trajectory of the spacecraft.
Separation of the two probes that were attached together from their transfer modules, the first crucial step to the final approach, was finally accomplished on Thursday.
This was equivalent to “launching a brand new spacecraft”. Ignacio Tanco explained before separation that this particular spacecraft was orbiting a planet other than Earth.
Everything went according to plan
Mercury’s distance from Earth was 200 million kilometers (124 millions miles) and 63 million kilometers (39 million mile) on Thursday.
Tanco explained that a delay of about 30 minutes existed between the time it took to perform checks and the time taken for commands from the aircraft to be sent down.
Tanco explained that the spacecraft must check the separation and perform it autonomously.
All went according to plan
Spacecraft cut four mechanical straps that connected the orbiters and the module.
The spring mechanisms are then gently removed.
Separation took place with a speed 40 cm (16 in) per second. This left the two bodies relatively close, given the vastness and distance of the universe.
The signal that confirmed the success of the mission reached Darmstadt’s control center nearly two hours after the event, at 1:53 pm GMT. This sparked rounds and rounds applause.
Elsa Montagnon is in charge of the module operations for ESA. She said: “This would be the ideal scenario – that we get the data exactly when we want it.”
She said, “The spacecraft completed its reconfiguration exactly as anticipated.”
On Nov. 21, the probes will enter Mercury’s orbit.
On Dec. 9, and 10 the probes will separate to their orbits.
Mercury Planetary orbiter (MPO), an ESA satellite, will start studying Mercury in April with unprecedented precision. It passes within 480 kilometers (300 miles), just 300 km from the surface.
It will follow an elliptical path that takes it up to 11,000 km (6,000 miles).
The New Chapter
Mercury, the innermost rocky planet in our solar System, is one of the less studied.
Mariner 10 of NASA was the first probe in 1974 to take a picture close up showing its surface.
In 2011, the MESSENGER probe orbited Earth.
There are still many questions about the magnetic field of this iron core, as well as its surface with hollows.
BepiColombo, with its 16 instruments and a budget of 2 billion dollars ($1.7 billion), “will bring humanity and scientists unprecedented views of Mercury…and it will open a chapter in our understanding the solar system”, Martinez stated.
2026

A federal charge has been filed against an ICE agent for lying to federal investigators regarding the shooting of a Venezuelan during ICE operations in Minneapolis earlier this year.
NBC News reported that a federal grand jury returned an indictment on Wednesday charging Christian Castro with lying to the FBI regarding the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa Celis, which occurred Jan. 14, and left him with a bullet wound in the leg.
Source: A separate investigation is being conducted to determine whether Castro could face more serious civil right charges in connection with the shooting.
Castro’s new federal charges were first covered by the Associated Press.
Castro appeared in federal court on Friday, facing six counts of false statements. Castro pleaded guilty not to all charges.
Castro’s federal charges came a week after he was released from Texas jail despite a Minnesota extradition order seeking to transfer him. In Minnesota, Castro is facing charges of false reporting and assault in relation to the same incident.
The federal authorities initially charged SosaCelis with beating an immigration official using a broom and a shovel during a confrontation before the shooting. However, after video evidence revealed that the ICE agents may have lied to the authorities about their encounter, the federal prosecutors dismissed the charges.
Castro was arrested by the Minnesota authorities in May. Castro was in Brownsville until last week, when he was released by a Texas judge and the governor. Greg Abbott declined to sign the extradition warrant, citing a fraud investigation involving Minnesota social services programs that the Trump administration had used as a justification for its immigration crackdown.
Mary Moriarty, the attorney for Hennepin County in Minnesota, said on Thursday that Castro is in Texas custody and she anticipates that he will be soon extradited back to Minnesota.
“Despite Gov. “Despite Gov.
Andrew Mahaleris (Press Secretary for Abbott) told NBC News on Thursday morning that state law enforcement is ready to help federal partners arrest Mr. Castro if necessary.
Mahaleris said that it is best to contact the U.S. Department of Justice for details of federal indictments.
On Thursday evening, the Minnesota Attorney general Keith Ellison posted on social media that Castro had turned himself in.
I’ve always said that Christian Castro will face justice in Minnesota. “Now that Christian Castro has finally surrendered in Texas, it’s only a matter of time before he faces justice in Minnesota,” Ellison wrote.
A federal judge released Castro on Saturday after a court hearing. The bond was set at $75,000 and it wasn’t secured. Castro’s release is subject to conditions, including the surrender of his passport.
Travel restrictions will be imposed on him, but he can travel to Minnesota to appear in court.
Castro’s lawyers said that the decision of the judge shows the court has confidence in Castro and believes he’ll appear at future hearings. They do not see him as a flight-risk.
NBC News reported that a federal prosecutor who was working on Castro’s case had been fired as soon as the news of the latest indictment broke.
ProPublica on Wednesday reported that Assistant U.S. attorney Matthew Evans told SosaCelis’ lawyers DOJ officials had blocked attempts to bring a more serious civil right charge against Castro.
Evans didn’t immediately reply to our request for comment. His DOJ email returned an automatic response stating that he was currently on leave.