Why Trump's envoys are not visiting Ukraine. “It's disrespectful to go to Moscow, not to Kiev”
US President Donald Trump's emissaries, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are in no rush to visit Kyiv amid growing concerns in Washington that a new engagement in Ukraine peace talks risks, once again, not producing tangible results, the Kyiv Independent has learned.
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner repeatedly went to Moscow PHOTO EPA-EFE
The hesitation comes despite months of internal discussions about a possible trip that would mark their first visit to Ukraine, although both envoys have already traveled repeatedly to Moscow, where they have held meetings with Vladimir Putin.
“They promised (to visit Kiev) many times, but so far they have not kept their word even once”said a senior Ukrainian official familiar with the situation, highlighting the sense of frustration in Kiev over the imbalance in diplomatic engagement.
Incidentally, this frustration was expressed publicly. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has openly criticized the approach of Trump's envoys, portraying their repeated visits to Russia without a corresponding trip to Ukraine as a sign of inconsideration.
“It's disrespectful to go to Moscow but not to Kiev, it's just disrespectful,” he said.
Kiev's expectations
The visit would have been more than a goodwill gesture. According to a person familiar with the situation, it was meant to be a push to restart trilateral diplomacy between Ukraine, Russia and the United States at a time when talks were virtually deadlocked.
Negotiations have been frozen for more than two months as Washington's attention has shifted to the war with Iran and related diplomatic efforts.
The last round of trilateral talks took place on February 16, and a follow-up meeting planned for the end of the month was postponed shortly before the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
Witkoff and Kushner were supposed to first travel to Kiev, meet with Zelensky, and only then go to Moscow for talks with Putin, two sources said.
Several factors are currently complicating the visit of Trump's emissaries to Kyiv
At the strategic level, both emissaries are deeply involved in the US-Iran negotiations, which continue to dominate Washington's foreign policy agenda.
As an official explained, the administration's attention is so focused on Iran that Ukraine is no longer a priority on the diplomatic agenda.
At the same time, aspects of wartime travel represent an perhaps only inconvenient but nevertheless important obstacle. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has closed its airspace, leaving train travel the only viable route to Kiev.
“They have their own problem about having to take the train,” said a person familiar with the discussions. “It's difficult for Witkoff.”
However, logistics alone do not explain this delay. The problem has more to do with the lack of progress in negotiations – and the risk that such a visit would only highlight the existing deadlock.
At the center of this impasse remains the territorial question.
Russia continues to insist that Kiev withdraw its troops from parts of the Donbas controlled by Ukraine as a precondition for a deal. Kiev has rejected this demand, arguing that freezing the current front line is the only realistic basis for a ceasefire.
“The Russians insist they want the whole Donbas; our position is: find a reasonable solution”a Ukrainian official said. “So at this point, it's not clear why (Trump's emissaries) should come all the way here just to hear the same thing again.”
That calculation seems to weigh heavily in Washington, too. In the absence of new proposals, a visit risks being rather symbolic.
“No substance yet”the same Ukrainian official said.
A White House official told the Kyiv Independent that the visit remains under discussion, but emphasized that “it has not been scheduled yet.”
Despite the stagnation of high-level engagement, communication between Kiev and Washington has not stopped. Officials on both sides continue to coordinate through multiple channels as Ukraine looks for ways to reset the format of cooperation.
According to a Ukrainian official, Kiev is now looking for “new formats” to revitalize interaction with the United States.
“Right now, the situation is not opportune for them, precisely because of the war with Iran”the same official added.
