US President's special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are, according to available information, still expected to visit Ukraine. According to a source close to the publication, the visit is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, September 6. It had previously been reported that the US president's representatives could visit both Russia and Ukraine in the coming days, but the plans have been repeatedly revised against the backdrop of an escalating situation.
Logistics and Security Concerns
According to the same source, at the time the article was being prepared, the question of exactly how Witkoff and Kushner would get to Kyiv was still being worked out. This indicates that the organizational side of the trip is in its final stages and has not been fully settled. Earlier, media outlets noted that the planned visit had been postponed but not canceled: the timing had changed against the backdrop of intensified Russian missile and drone strikes on Kyiv, which cast doubt on the safety and even the feasibility of the American negotiators' arrival.
Kyiv's Position
On September 4, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha stated that some delegations had postponed their trips to Ukraine. When asked by journalists whether this could specifically refer to Witkoff and Kushner, the foreign minister did not give a direct answer. Such wording neither confirms nor refutes the expectation of a visit, but it indirectly indicates that the question of postponing or delaying the trips of several delegations is indeed being discussed in Kyiv.
Context: Moscow's Statements
An important context for understanding the dynamics of the negotiations is set by the Russian side's position. On September 3, Vladimir Putin stated that it was Russia and Ukraine themselves who should negotiate the end of the war, while other states, in his words, should merely provide assistance. This statement effectively limits the role of intermediaries and could affect the format and outcomes of a possible visit by the US special representatives to Moscow and Kyiv.
Contradictory Data
There is a notable discrepancy in assessments of the timing and even the fact of the trip itself. On the one hand, the source indicates that Witkoff and Kushner will "most likely" arrive in Kyiv as early as Sunday, September 6. On the other hand, it had previously been reported that the visit had come into question, and RBC-Ukraine had written of its postponement against the backdrop of strikes on Kyiv; at the same time, according to media reports, the trip had not been canceled but merely shifted in timing. Moreover, the Ukrainian foreign minister did not directly confirm that the discussion concerned the American special envoys. Thus, the version of an imminent arrival and the version of a postponement/uncertainty coexist in the public sphere, and as of the time of publication, no official decision had been made on the date and route.
The bottom line is a picture in which the visit by the US special envoys remains a likely but not guaranteed event in the coming days. The key variables remain the logistics of arriving in Kyiv, Kyiv's position on the postponed delegations, and the Russian side's readiness for a bilateral format of negotiations, which, according to Putin, should become the main channel for a settlement.
