The Kyiv Independent: Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner’s first visit to Kyiv may fall through — Witkoff ‘started to get scared’
A visit to Kyiv by Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the day before — may fall through, The Kyiv Independent reported, citing a source familiar with the matter. Witkoff “started to get scared” to travel to Kyiv, according to the outlet’s sources.
“The Russians don’t want them to come here to Kyiv, and Witkoff is always sensitive to Russian sentiment,” the source said. “They’re being told there that it’s dangerous.”
The negotiators are expected to visit Ukraine and Russia on September 5–6. According to the Russian state news agency TASS, Witkoff and Kushner will travel first to Moscow and then to Kyiv. Ukrainian sources say preparations are underway for a visit on those same dates.
Witkoff and Kushner plan to arrive by plane, according to The Kyiv Independent. Sources had previously reported that Witkoff finds it “uncomfortable” to travel by train, one of the reasons cited for why American negotiators have yet to visit Ukraine. Kyiv’s skies have been closed since the start of the full-scale war, forcing foreign delegations to reach the Ukrainian capital by rail.
Russian forces have attacked Kyiv daily for more than a week, including with jet-powered drones that are harder to shoot down.
Update: Axios reports, citing a source in the U.S. administration, that Witkoff and Kushner’s trip will go ahead after all. The source also confirmed that the negotiators will travel first to Moscow and then to Kyiv. According to the source, the decision on whether to proceed with the trip changed several times, but as of the latest reports, the visit is expected to take place.
Witkoff and Kushner have traveled to Moscow for talks several times but have yet to visit Kyiv.
Witkoff and Kushner had earlier planned to visit Ukraine and Russia in August. Unofficial reports indicated they were expected to arrive in Kyiv on Ukraine’s Independence Day, August 24. The Kremlin did not disclose exact dates for the visit but called Witkoff and Kushner “welcome guests.” Sources who spoke to the Russian state news agency TASS, commenting on the negotiators’ Moscow visit that fell through in August, said “there are reasons to postpone it.”
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