Zelensky Rebukes Trump Envoys for Snubbing Kyiv
Zelensky leveled the criticism Monday during a wide-ranging interview with a Ukrainian broadcaster, responding to questions about whether envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would eventually make the journey to the Ukrainian capital.
Rather than pressing for a visit, Zelensky moved to temper public expectations, urging media outlets not to inflate any potential trip into a diplomatic milestone given that back-channel communication was already underway.
"I believe their visit is needed not by us, but by them. It is not respectful to travel to Moscow and not come to Kiev. It's simply not respectful. I understand that our logistics are more complicated. But everyone is travelling," he said.
The Ukrainian leader nonetheless left the door open, noting that geography need not be an obstacle — "if they don't want to, we will meet in other countries" — and reaffirming that Kyiv's overriding objective remains securing a ceasefire along the existing front line. Moscow has firmly resisted such an arrangement, contending it would merely afford Ukraine time to rebuild its depleted forces and rearm with Western weaponry.
The rebuke carries pointed weight given the envoys' travel record. Witkoff, a central architect of the US peace push, has logged six visits to Moscow since Trump returned to the White House, including several face-to-face sessions with President Vladimir Putin. Kushner has accompanied him on a number of those trips. While Witkoff has engaged Ukrainian officials, those meetings have taken place outside Kyiv — most recently in Miami last month.
This is not the first time Zelensky has taken aim at the envoys' relationship with the Kremlin. Earlier this month, he expressed frustration over what he described as excessive time spent with the Russian president. "The problem is they trust Putin. And it's a pity," he said.
Tensions between Kyiv and Washington have also spilled into the negotiating room. Zelensky has alleged that the US was tying post-war security guarantees for Ukraine to a full Ukrainian military withdrawal from Russia's Donbass — a claim Secretary of State Marco Rubio flatly denied, accusing the Ukrainian leader of spreading "lies."
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