Witkoff and Kushner may visit Kyiv for Independence Day
U.S. President’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner may visit Kyiv in the second half of August. According to media reports, the visit may coincide with events marking Ukraine’s Independence Day.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously stated that he wants to discuss with U.S. officials possible ways to resume peace talks and show them the reality on the ground in Ukraine.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, may visit Kyiv in the second half of August. According to journalists, the visit may coincide with events marking the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence.
This was reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Washington correspondent, Alex Raufoglu. He cited two sources familiar with the preparations for the trip. So far, there has been no official confirmation of the upcoming visit.
What is known about the possible trip
On July 29, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that following his meeting with Donald Trump on July 28, the two sides discussed a possible visit by U.S. officials to Kyiv. According to the president, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner may visit Ukraine in the coming weeks.
Zelenskyy emphasized that he wants to hold detailed talks with them on possible ways to resume the peace process and end the war. In addition, the Ukrainian president wants the U.S. representatives to see the situation in the country for themselves. “I want to discuss in detail with them ideas for resuming peace talks and for them to see with their own eyes what is happening in Ukraine today,” Zelenskyy noted.
Ukraine has been awaiting this visit for a long time
As early as July 22, Zelenskyy reported that he had already discussed possible diplomatic steps to end Russia’s war against Ukraine with Donald Trump’s special envoys. Anticipation of this visit has been building for several months. Kirill Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, previously stated that Ukraine had expected to host the American delegation after Orthodox Easter.
In April, Volodymyr Zelenskyy also invited U.S. representatives to come to Kyiv for talks at the technical working group level. This format was considered an alternative to a trilateral meeting, which was complicated at the time by the war between Israel and Iran. The Office of the President has repeatedly stated that it is awaiting the arrival of Donald Trump’s special envoys.
If the visit takes place, it could become one of the most important diplomatic engagements between Ukraine and representatives of the new U.S. administration on the eve of Ukraine’s Independence Day. This was reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Washington correspondent Alex Raufoglu, citing two sources familiar with the visit’s plans.
U.S. Special Presidential Representative Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have agreed to travel to Kyiv. The visit could take place within the next two weeks.
