KYIV—United States envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner faced criticism for their recent attempt to broker a ceasefire in Russia's war in Ukraine, with European observers saying patience with the Trump administration is diminishing.
Slate magazine characterized Kushner's involvement as demonstrating incompetence. The Daily Telegraph called the envoys' efforts a circus act and an embarrassment. The Financial Times published a story titled "Kushner and Witkoff's blind amateurism."
The United States pursued negotiations without its European allies, an approach that began after President Trump ended military aid to Ukraine and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Witkoff drew strong reactions when he openly flattered Putin, telling him, "When we retire, we'll have all these incredible stories and incredible memories, and yours will be right at the top of it all."
During the envoys' visit, Ukraine paused its missile and drone attacks on Moscow from Sept. 5 to Sept. 7 to allow the U.S. envoys' aircraft to fly safely between the capitals. Russia halted its attacks while Witkoff and Kushner were in Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a sardonic comment during a media conference with the envoys, saying, "Please come more often, so that our people have the chance to live normally."
Shortly after the envoys departed, Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles on Kyiv on Sept. 8 and Sept. 9, killing at least four civilians.
Russia has given little indication it is prepared for a peace agreement. Valery Ushakov, Putin's diplomatic aide, told the U.S. envoys that Moscow remains committed to achieving all its objectives in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sept. 8 that "Russia intends to achieve the goals of the special military operation." Two days later, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told Vedomosti newspaper that the conflict "must end on our terms, in order to prevent the possibility of it recurring in the future or spreading into a global conflict." Medvedev added, "Nuclear weapons can be used in certain circumstances. This isn't a scare tactic."
Zelenskyy has maintained that only military pressure on the battlefield will compel Moscow to negotiate. "Without a strong position on the ground, there will only be ultimatums," he said this week.
The envoys arrived in Kyiv on the fourth anniversary of Ukraine's Kharkiv offensive, the 2022 operation that reclaimed 11,500 square kilometers of northern Ukrainian territory from Russian occupation, including more than 500 settlements. The offensive prompted Russian forces to withdraw from approximately 8,000 square kilometers of occupied territory, including land on the right bank of the Dnipro River in the southern Kherson region that Russia deemed indefensible. Russia also lifted sieges on Kyiv, Sumy and Chernihiv, reducing Russian occupation from over a quarter of Ukrainian territory to less than a fifth.
