Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has sharply criticized two key US diplomats for what he calls a "disrespectful" pattern of visiting Moscow while avoiding official trips to Kyiv. In a recent interview, Zelensky singled out Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who have made multiple visits to the Russian capital but have never traveled to Ukraine in an official capacity.
"It's disrespectful [for them] to come to Moscow and not Kyiv, it's just disrespectful," Zelensky stated. "I understand we have complex logistics... If they don't want to, we can meet in other countries."
Witkoff, a former real estate magnate who serves as Donald Trump's special envoy, has visited Moscow eight times and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on numerous occasions. Kushner, the US president's son-in-law, has also traveled to Russia but never to Ukraine. The pair's most recent visits occurred late last year and in January as ceasefire negotiations between Russia and the US gained momentum.
Zelensky revealed that a planned visit by the two envoys to Ukraine in April never materialized, with attention shifting to the escalating conflict between the US-Israel alliance and Iran. The Ukrainian president acknowledged that Washington's focus has turned to the Middle East but emphasized the importance of continued cooperation with American officials.
The diplomatic snub comes amid stalled peace talks that initially showed promise in autumn 2025. While both Moscow and Kyiv reported progress on some military issues by February—including front line locations and ceasefire monitoring—fundamental disagreements remain unresolved. Ukraine continues to demand the return of children forcibly deported by Russia, while Moscow insists on regime change in Kyiv.
The central sticking point remains the status of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. Russia's demand for sovereign Ukrainian territory in exchange for ending the war remains unacceptable to Kyiv, creating what appears to be an intractable deadlock in negotiations.
Kyrylo Budanov, Zelensky's chief of staff, summarized the grim reality in February: "We are looking for a compromise between two completely polar positions. We have not yet found it." He added that both sides would eventually have to acknowledge either finding a solution or accepting responsibility for continuing a conflict that has already claimed countless lives.
Meanwhile, the war continues to devastate Ukraine more than four years after Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022. Russian forces control large portions of eastern Ukraine, with fighting ongoing along a front line stretching from Luhansk to Kherson. Ukrainian cities face regular aerial attacks, including a recent assault involving over 700 drones and missiles that killed at least 18 civilians.
Ukraine has responded with increased drone strikes against Russian energy infrastructure, targeting ports, factories, and oil terminals deep within Russian territory. These attacks have reportedly disabled approximately 20% of Russia's export capacity, though the country has paradoxically seen financial gains from the broader energy crisis sparked by the war with Iran.
The conflict shows no signs of abating, with both sides demonstrating what Budanov described as their "efficient and professional" capacity for continued violence in the absence of a diplomatic breakthrough.