Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that representatives of Donald Trump's administration — Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — may visit Kyiv in the coming days. The head of state made the announcement following a meeting with the team handling negotiations with the American side. According to Zelensky, communication with Washington's representatives is being conducted on a 24/7 basis, and preparations for the meetings are progressing at an active pace.
Preliminary Dates and Two Cities
"There are preliminary dates. We expect to see representatives of the President of America here, in Kyiv. We have confirmation from them: there will be a meeting in Moscow and in Kyiv. We expect the meeting in the coming days," RBC-Ukraine quotes Zelensky as saying. Thus, according to Kyiv's version, the American delegation plans two visits: one to Moscow, the other to the Ukrainian capital. The President emphasized that it is critically important for Ukraine that "America remains active" in the process of resolving the conflict.
Context: Visit Postponed Amid Strikes
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that the planned visit of Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Ukraine had already been postponed. According to the outlet, the trip was not canceled, but its timing changed against the backdrop of intensified Russian missile and drone strikes on Kyiv. This created additional logistical and security challenges for organizing a high-level meeting in the Ukrainian capital.
Moscow's Position: 'They Should Agree Between Themselves'
Against the backdrop of the announcement of the Russian negotiators' visit to Kyiv and Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia and Ukraine should independently agree on ending the war. In his words, other states should only provide assistance in this process. The statement was made on the same day as Zelensky's remarks and effectively outlined an opposite approach to the negotiation format: Moscow insists on a bilateral channel, while Kyiv strives for a multi-level format with the participation of mediators from Washington.
Contradictory Data
There is a significant discrepancy between Kyiv's statements and data from Ukrainian TV channels. Zelensky claims that "we have confirmation from them" and that the visit is planned "in the coming days." However, according to information from the TV channel TSN, cited by RBC, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have not yet confirmed their visit to Kyiv. Thus, at the time of the President's statement, the American side apparently had not given public confirmation of specific dates. This may mean that the matter concerns preliminary agreements that have not yet reached the stage of an official announcement from Washington, or that Zelensky's wording reflects his own expectations rather than a decision recorded by the American administration.
What This Means for the Negotiation Track
Regardless of whether the visit takes place in the coming days or is postponed again, the very fact of discussing specific dates indicates that the negotiation track between Kyiv and Washington has not stopped. The simultaneous planning of meetings in Moscow and Kyiv points to an attempt to build parallel communication channels: on one side — with the Russian side, on the other — with the Ukrainian side. For Kyiv, the key task remains to ensure that American representatives do not act solely as observers but retain the role of active mediators capable of influencing the dynamics of the conflict.
