Witkoff, Kushner in talks to visit Ukraine for first time
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- Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are in talks to visit Kyiv, which would be their first trip to Ukraine during Trump's second term, the Financial Times first reported
- The discussions follow a Trump–Zelensky White House meeting on Tuesday; Zelensky is in DC for memorial services for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died earlier this month shortly after returning from a trip to Kyiv
- Witkoff and Kushner have led negotiations with Putin for the four-year war but have been criticized as overly deferential to the Kremlin, including pushing for Ukraine to cede territory
- Witkoff has repeatedly visited Moscow and met in Florida with Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of Russia's Direct Investment Fund
- US peace efforts stalled as Witkoff and Kushner pivoted to Iran talks ahead of the Feb. 28 launch of the US–Israeli war against Iran
- Zelensky brought evidence to Washington that Russia shared satellite imagery with Iran on US troop movements; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged Moscow is enabling Iran
- Former US ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst predicted Russians "will not bomb Ukraine when he's there," adding Witkoff could leave with a more positive view of Ukraine's drone advances
Why it matters: A Witkoff-Kushner trip to Kyiv would mark a notable shift: the two envoys, criticized for deferring to Moscow and pulled away by Iran, would finally engage directly with Ukraine's leadership and battlefield reality. Herbst's prediction that Russia won't strike during the visit underscores how a simple diplomatic trip doubles as a temporary security guarantee for Kyiv.
