Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, special envoys of U.S. President Donald Trump, have yet to visit Kyiv, despite prolonged internal discussions in Washington regarding a potential trip. According to sources, skepticism is growing in the U.S. about the effectiveness of reviving peace talks, as previous attempts have not yielded tangible results.
This is reported by Finway
Diplomatic Imbalance and State of Negotiations
The absence of a visit to Kyiv has become a source of disappointment for the Ukrainian side, especially considering that Witkoff and Kushner have repeatedly traveled to Moscow for talks with Putin. According to a Ukrainian official familiar with the situation, Kyiv is dissatisfied with this imbalance in diplomatic contacts.
“They have promised many times (to visit Kyiv), but have yet to fulfill that promise,” said a senior Ukrainian official familiar with the matter, emphasizing the frustration in Kyiv over the imbalance in diplomatic interaction.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has openly criticized the approach of the American envoys, stressing the need for more active U.S. involvement in the resolution process. The visit was expected to give a boost to the resumption of trilateral dialogue between Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia, as negotiations are currently at a standstill. According to several informed sources, Witkoff and Kushner were initially supposed to arrive in Kyiv for a meeting with Zelensky before heading to Moscow.
Obstacles and Shifting Priorities
At a strategic level, experts note that both envoys are actively engaged in negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. As a result, the administration’s focus has largely shifted from the Ukrainian issue to the Middle East, and Ukraine is no longer among the key topics on the U.S. diplomatic agenda.
Organizational difficulties are also impacting the decision regarding the visit. According to sources, logistical challenges during the war period, particularly the need to travel by train, pose an additional barrier for Witkoff.
The lack of progress in negotiations, especially regarding territorial issues, remains a major concern, and the risks of further stagnation cast a shadow over the potential visit. American officials confirm that this issue is still under discussion, but no final decision has been made.
Communication between Kyiv and Washington continues, although official negotiations have been suspended for over two months. Ukraine is currently seeking new formats for cooperation with the U.S., trying to bring security and support issues back to the agenda.
The last round of trilateral negotiations took place in mid-February, and a meeting scheduled for the end of the month was postponed. Since then, Washington’s attention has shifted to the developments in the conflict with Iran and related diplomatic processes.
In a recent interview with Reuters, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the U.S. has set a condition for receiving security guarantees – Ukraine must withdraw its troops from Donbas. In response, a representative of the Russian Federation, Kirill Dmitriev, expressed satisfaction with Zelensky’s position, emphasizing that guarantees are only possible after such a step.
At the same time, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed Zelensky’s statements as inaccurate. Zelensky himself noted that he had revealed “a smaller part of the iceberg” on this issue.