The scheduled visit by US President's special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Ukraine has been postponed once again. According to Radio Free Europe journalist Alex Raufoglu, the trip has not been cancelled, but its timing has been shifted against the backdrop of intensified Russian missile and drone strikes on Kyiv last week. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing Raufoglu's post on the X network.
Reason for the postponement — escalation of strikes on the capital
The main reason for the change in schedule, according to Raufoglu, was the intense Russian missile and drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital recorded last week. The journalist emphasizes that this is precisely a postponement, not an abandonment of the mission: "According to my sources, the long-awaited trip by Witkoff and Kushner to Ukraine is 'slightly delayed, but not cancelled' — due to the intensification of missile and drone strikes on Kyiv last week."
What is known about the new timing
A specific date for the repeat visit has not been named as of the time of publication; according to available information, the new timing will be announced separately. Earlier, following a productive meeting between Vladimir Zelensky and Donald Trump, it was expected that the US President's negotiators would arrive in Ukraine within the next few weeks, with Independence Day — August 24 — considered the most likely day for the diplomatic mission. This benchmark has now effectively been shifted.
European context: six leaders visited Kyiv
Against the backdrop of the postponement of the American delegation, six European leaders arrived in Kyiv on August 23 — representatives of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Denmark, Norway, and Finland. This fact, pointed out by Raufoglu, underscores that diplomatic activity around Ukraine is not ceasing, even though the American track has temporarily slowed down.
Contradictory data
A discrepancy in presentation is traceable in publications on the topic. A number of media outlets are broadcasting the version of a refusal to visit (in the spirit of the headline "will not come"), while the primary source — Alex Raufoglu's post — unambiguously speaks of a postponement, not a cancellation. In addition, there is an inconsistency in the chronology: August 24 was named as the day for the mission, but by that date the visit had not taken place and was postponed, which calls the "next few weeks" benchmark into question. Both versions — "postponed" and "cancelled/will not come" — are circulating in the media space, while the authoritative primary source confirms only the delay.
Diplomatic background and Washington's position
Meanwhile, Washington continues to publicly affirm its course of supporting Kyiv. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated Ukraine on the 35th anniversary of its independence, emphasizing that the United States remains committed to upholding and supporting Ukrainian sovereignty. Thus, the postponement of Witkoff and Kushner's visit is perceived as a tactical adjustment of the schedule, not as a change in the position of the US administration.
