KYIV -- US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are heading to Moscow and Kyiv in the latest White House attempt to end Russia's war on its neighbor, with the two set to arrive shortly after the Kremlin's forces blasted Ukraine's security services headquarters in the capital.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that "today it has been clearly determined that American representatives will be in Ukraine and in Russia in the coming days" and he called for a pause in air strikes by both sides to facilitate any meetings.
He added that the US team has informed him that Witkoff and Kushner will first visit Moscow on September 5 and then travel to Kyiv on September 6.
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Alleged Confession Video Raises More Questions About Ukrainian Security Agencies' Shoot-OutUS officials did not immediately confirm Zelenskyy's comments, but it is widely expected that the two envoys would travel to the Russian and Ukrainian capitals over the weekend.
Previously, a US official had confirmed to RFE/RL that Witkoff and Kushner would travel to Moscow and Kyiv "in the coming days," although details were not immediately provided, potentially out of security concerns for the two Americans.
Moscow has not confirmed that the envoys will visit Russia, although Russian media quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying the two "might" visit Moscow as early as September 5.
Zelenskyy Calls For Pause In Air Strikes
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces would "ensure the normal functioning of Russia airspace so that the negotiators can arrive there safely" and demanded that Moscow reciprocate.
"There will be no air strikes from our side, and Russia must also refrain from conducting air strikes for the time needed to hold these negotiations."
The visit would come just days after a Russia drone strike hit the headquarters of Ukraine's domestic security service -- known as the SBU and a key agency that would be responsible for the US envoys' safety during a visit.
"Unfortunately, a Russian drone hit the central building of the SBU on Volodymyrska Street in Kyiv, opposite the St. Sophia Cathedral," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram, referring to the main building of the domestic intelligence agency.
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How Much Can Ukraine Disrupt Civilian Flights In Russia?"The drone was aimed directly at the office of the head of the security service in that building," he said, adding that SBU chief Oleksandr Poklad was not in his office at the time.
Prior to calling on a pause in air strikes, Zelenskyy said he had ordered Poklad to "adequately, noticeably and, if possible, to mirror" the Russians' actions "when everything is prepared. "
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least seven people were injured in the strike. It was not immediately disclosed if SBU members were among the injured.
The normal high-security measures around the sensitive building prevented journalists from viewing the damage to the sprawling site. Heavy black smoke was seen above the city center following the attack.
Experts See 'Escalation'
Heather A. Conley, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and former deputy assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, said the attack signaled a ramping up of the Kremlin's air offensive against Ukraine.
"This was a clear escalation of Russia as it follows along six days of intense bombing," she told RFE/RL.
"I just believe they are they are accelerating their efforts just as they see Ukraine's drones and so-called long-range sanctions having a significant impact in Russia."
Conley said the strike "absolutely contradicts" Russian President Vladimir Putin's statement a day earlier suggesting that he is open to negotiation again.
Tressa Guenov, former senior Pentagon and State Department official, told RFE/RL that Russia's "daytime strike on Ukraine’s SBU headquarters in Kyiv is part of an increasingly escalatory dynamic and mounting strikes against the capital."
"One can guess that Moscow has always likely had plans on the shelf aimed at SBU targets, but hitting the headquarters today shows that Russia is willing to push new boundaries amidst an uncertain diplomatic situation."
"For Ukraine, this attack is case in point why it needs urgent air defense interceptors," added Guenov, who is currently a senior fellow at the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council.
Attack Follows Street Gun Battle
The attack comes two days after a dramatic shoot-out between the SBU and Ukraine's military intelligence agency, the HUR, on the streets of the capital.
Their firefight erupted on September 2, but details of the incident and the reasons for the gun battle remain murky.
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The September 4 strike on the SBU building marked a continuation of Russia's campaign of daytime attack in and around Kyiv -- after four years of almost daily overnight strikes. It comes as Russia's ground offensive in eastern Ukraine stalls amid heavy losses on both sides.
Russia has turned to launching jet-propelled drones capable of flying nearly twice as fast as older models, forcing Kyiv to adapt defenses in the battle against high-tech weapons and prompting leaders to plea for additional air defense weapons from Western partners.
New Diplomatic Push
The visits of the US envoys, if they do occur, would mark their first visit to Ukraine since taking leading roles in the administration's efforts to end the war and come amid a renewed diplomatic aimed at bringing a peace agreement in the increasingly bloody war.
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Ratcliffe reportedly warned Russian officials against attacking or testing NATO, with particular concern about the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
The AEI's Conley said that "it's absolutely unclear to me the next steps on US policy toward the conflict."
"It's not clear if the US is willing to place pressure, more pressure on Russia," she said, citing confusion over a Russian sanctions bill currently on an uncertain course in the US Congress and uncertainty over potential licensing of the production of Patriot missiles to Ukraine.
"There's just a lack of clarity right now on on how the US is planning to proceed," she added.