Kushner, Witkoff visit to Ukraine under discussion

International Kushner, Witkoff visit to Ukraine under discussion Comments: by Laura Kelly - 07/28/26 2:43 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Laura Kelly - 07/28/26 2:43 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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President Trump’s top officials for peace negotiations, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are in talks to visit Ukraine, a Ukrainian official told The Hill, likely reviving U.S. efforts to reach a settlement to end Russia’s war against the country.

The discussions about a possible trip followed a meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Tuesday. The Ukrainian leader is in Washington D.C. attending memorial services for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a staunch Ukraine supporter who had returned to the U.S. from a trip to Kyiv shortly before his sudden death earlier this month.

The Financial Times first reported that Wiktoff and Kushner are in talks to visit Kyiv. It would mark the first time the president’s two top advisors went to Ukraine during Trump’s second term.

Witkoff, the president’s special advisor for peace missions, and Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, have served as the point people on negotiating with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year. But the two have been criticized as being overly deferential to Putin and naive in representing the Kremlin’s positions, in particular arguing for Ukraine to cede territory as a means to end the war.

Witkoff has routinely visited Moscow and he and Kushner have met in Florida with one of Putin’s top envoys, Kirill Dmitriev, who also serves as CEO of Russia’s Direct Investment Fund.

U.S. efforts to negotiate an end to the war have fallen off amid a stalemate in talks and as Witkoff and Kushner took on negotiating with Iran ahead the launch of the U.S. and Israeli war against the country on Feb. 28.

Trump has tried to move the U.S. to a neutral negotiating position between Kyiv and Moscow. He has said he has a good relationship with Putin and has dismissed claims that Russia is aiding Iran’s military.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth during a Senate hearing acknowledged that Moscow is enabling Iran and Zelensky said he brought to Washington evidence of Russia sharing satellite imagery with Iran about U.S. troop movements.

John Herbst, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, said a visit by Witkoff and Kushner to Ukraine sends a positive signal to Ukrainians and also likely draws ire from the Russians.

“First of all, these Russians will not bomb Ukraine when he’s there,” Herbst said, adding that Witkoff could walk away with a more positive view of Ukrainians, given their advancements on drone technology and resilience during the war.

“Ukraine does have a very positive impact on visitors. There’s no doubt about that.”

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