Zelensky sends his envoy to Washington… Ukraine seeks a breakthrough in the wall of war
As the negotiation process between Moscow and Kyiv stalls and U.S. momentum regarding the war in Ukraine declines, Kyiv is seeking to reactivate channels of dialogue with Washington.
In this regard, a senior Ukrainian official told Politico that President Volodymyr Zelensky has dispatched Kyiv’s chief negotiator to meet with the envoys of his American counterpart Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, in the United States.
The visit of the Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, comes at a time when U.S.-mediated negotiations appear to have reached a dead end, according to Politico.
Umerov left Ukraine for the United States on Wednesday, according to an informed source who requested anonymity to discuss undisclosed arrangements.
The source said: “Umerov will meet with representatives of the U.S. president to discuss diplomatic and security issues,” referring to U.S. special envoy Witkoff and Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.
The White House has not released any information regarding the potential meeting.
Despite Kyiv officials’ insistence that they remain in regular contact with the American side, Zelensky acknowledged that the United States “has shifted its focus from Ukraine to Iran, and this has weakened pressure on Russia.”
Zelensky told Newsmax last week: “The problem is that the United States’ priority has now shifted to the Middle East.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to demand that Ukraine withdraw from the Donbas region, while Kyiv insists on the possibility of settling the war along the current line of contact.
Zelensky maintains that Kyiv will never relinquish any territory, particularly those that Moscow has failed to control militarily.
Awaiting the visit of Witkoff and Kushner
Kyiv has been awaiting a visit from Kushner and Witkoff for months. Zelensky appeared particularly frustrated that Witkoff has visited Moscow eight times since the start of U.S.-led negotiations last year, while meeting Ukrainian officials only in the United States or outside Kyiv, according to the newspaper.
Last month, Zelensky said: “We are in contact with them. But I believe they need this visit (to Ukraine) more than we do. Why? It is not appropriate to go to Moscow without coming to Kyiv. It is inappropriate.”
An informed source revealed that a planned visit by Witkoff and Kushner during Easter was intended to present a “political ultimatum” linked to a prisoner exchange and a temporary ceasefire, but the Ukrainian side rejected the associated public pressure.
The source added: “They knew Zelensky would reject the public ultimatum, and that this would give them an opportunity to withdraw from the negotiations altogether. Russia’s interest in negotiations has also declined.”
The source continued: “If previously Ukrainians could provide a list of prisoners of war they wanted handed over to the United States, and the Kremlin would release them, this is no longer effective today.”
Over the past three months, Ukraine has faced a difficult choice: either accept the peace treaty in its current form or continue fighting, perhaps for years, according to an informed source cited by Politico last month. So far, Kyiv has chosen to continue fighting.
