Media: Trumpʼs special envoys are not going to Kyiv due to lack of progress in negotiations

The US Presidentʼs special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are in no hurry to go to Kyiv because Washington fears that new negotiations will not yield results.

Kyiv Independent writes about this, citing its own sources.

Despite months of promises, Witkoff and Kushner have yet to visit Kyiv, although they have traveled to Moscow on several occasions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called such diplomacy disrespectful.

Witkoff and Kushnerʼs visit to Ukraine was expected to be a trigger for the resumption of trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States, which have been effectively frozen for more than two months. The last talks took place in mid-February, and the next meeting was canceled due to the US military operation against Iran.

The publication writes that Witkoff and Kushner were supposed to come to Kyiv for talks with Zelensky, and only then go to Moscow. However, this plan has not yet been implemented for a number of reasons.

Currently, Witkoff and Kushner remain involved in the US negotiations on Iran, which have become a priority for the Donald Trump administration.

There are also practical difficulties, the source says, as the only real way to get to Kyiv is by rail, which Witkoff says is difficult. But the deeper problem is the lack of progress in the talks and the risk that the visit will only highlight this impasse.

According to sources, the parties remain fundamentally different positions, primarily on territories. Russia insists on the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from part of Donbas, while Ukraine rejects these demands and proposes the option of freezing the front line.

Despite the pause at the high level, contacts between Kyiv and Washington continue. The Ukrainian side is trying to find new formats for cooperation with the US, especially against the background of the fact that the White Houseʼs attention has largely shifted to the situation around Iran.

President Zelensky recently said that the invitation for Witkoff and Kushner to visit Kyiv remains valid, but they have not yet responded.

Negotiations between Ukraine, Russia and the USA

The first direct trilateral talks between delegations of Ukraine, Russia, and the United States were held in Abu Dhabi on January 23-24. Their main topic was the possible terms of ending the war, but the negotiators did not achieve any concrete results.

The next round of negotiations took place in Abu Dhabi on February 4-5. The parties focused on the mechanisms of the ceasefire and how it would be monitored by the United States. But the delegations were unable to finally agree on the details without political decisions at the highest level. At the same time, they agreed on the first exchange of prisoners between Ukraine and Russia in the last five months — 157 Ukrainians returned home.

After that, Ukraine, Russia, and the United States held peace talks in Geneva on February 17-18. Zelensky said at the time that the military had almost agreed on how to monitor the ceasefire, but there had been no progress on the issues of territories and ZNPP.

The latest round of trilateral talks between Kyiv, Washington, and Moscow took place in Geneva, Switzerland, on February 26. Particular attention was focused on the economic bloc and long-term support mechanisms for Ukraine.

In early April, Zelensky said he had invited the American delegation to come to Kyiv for talks at the level of technical groups. This format is an alternative to the trilateral meeting with the participation of Russia, which cannot yet be held due to the war in the Middle East.

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