Trump's envoys delay Ukraine visit over doubts about talks, Witkoff put off by train travel – Kyiv Independent

US President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are in no rush to visit Kyiv, as Washington believes renewed participation in peace talks is unlikely to produce tangible results.

Source: Kyiv Independent, citing anonymous sources

Details: A senior Ukrainian official familiar with the matter said that "they've promised [to visit Kyiv] many times, but so far they haven't followed through even once".

The Kyiv Independent highlighted frustration in Kyiv over an imbalance in diplomatic engagement, noting that Witkoff and Kushner have frequently travelled to Russia to meet its leader Vladimir Putin.

The planned visit to Kyiv was intended not only as a gesture of goodwill.

According to one source familiar with the issue, it was meant to help revive trilateral diplomacy between Ukraine, Russia and the US.

Two sources said the plan was for Witkoff and Kushner to visit Kyiv first, meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and then travel to Moscow for talks with Putin.

Several factors are currently complicating the visit.

Quote: "On the strategic level, both envoys remain deeply involved in US-Iran negotiations, which continue to dominate Washington's foreign policy agenda.

As one official put it, the administration's focus has shifted so heavily that Ukraine is no longer driving the diplomatic agenda."

Travel conditions during wartime are also cited as an obstacle.

"They have their own issue with having to take the train. It's difficult for Witkoff", one source familiar with the talks said.

A deeper issue is the lack of progress in negotiations and the risk that a visit would expose this deadlock.

One Ukrainian official said: "The Russians are insisting that they want the entire Donbas; our position is: let's come up with a decent solution. So for now, it's unclear why [Trump's envoys] should come all this way just to hear the same thing again."

"There is no substance yet," the same official added.

A US official told the Kyiv Independent that the visit remains under discussion but stressed that "it has not yet been scheduled".

Despite the pause in high-level engagement, communication between Kyiv and Washington continues. Officials on both sides remain in contact through multiple channels, even as Ukraine seeks ways to reset the format of cooperation.

According to one Ukrainian official, Kyiv is currently looking for "new formats" to reinvigorate engagement with the US.

"Right now, the situation in the US isn't right for them, precisely because of the war in Iran," the official added.

Background:

• The last round of trilateral talks took place on 16 February, while a subsequent meeting planned for late February was postponed shortly before the US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
• Zelenskyy said on 14 April that Witkoff and Kushner were planning a visit to Ukraine.

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