US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Donald Trump, have canceled a planned meeting with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky in Europe, according to media reports. The meeting was expected to take place after Witkoff’s high-stakes talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.
Zelensky had previously stated that he expected to receive “signals” from the US delegation regarding a peace plan for Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader had also expressed hope that if the Kremlin talks were successful, he could meet with President Trump soon. However, the US president has refused to meet with both Zelensky and Putin until a peace deal is nearing its final stages.
The canceled meeting comes after five-hour Russia-US talks at the Kremlin, which were described as “useful, constructive, and meaningful” by Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov. Despite the positive assessment, Ushakov noted that “a compromise hasn’t been found” and “there’s still a lot of work to be done.” The negotiations focused on a US-backed peace framework, which reportedly includes Kiev relinquishing territory in Russia’s Donbass regions, abandoning its NATO ambitions, and limiting the size of its military.
The US-backed peace plan has been a topic of discussion since a 28-point draft was leaked last month. The proposal has been met with resistance from Kiev, which considers some of the terms to be deal-breakers. The canceled meeting between Witkoff, Kushner, and Zelensky has raised questions about the future of the peace talks and the potential for a meeting between Zelensky and President Trump.
The development is significant, as it comes at a crucial time in the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. The international community is closely watching the progress of the peace talks, and the cancellation of the meeting may indicate a setback in the process. As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how the parties involved will move forward and whether a peaceful resolution can be reached.
