US diplomacy under fire as Russia escalates attacks on Ukrainian officials
The Witkoff-Kushner visit to Moscow was immediately followed by Russian attacks on Kyiv.
United States envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have been seen as embarrassing and amateurish after their latest attempt to secure a ceasefire in Russia’s war in Ukraine, suggesting that European patience with the US administration of Donald Trump is running out.
“Jared Kushner’s incompetence was on full display this weekend,” wrote Slate magazine. “The Witkoff-Kushner circus act is an embarrassment,” said the Daily Telegraph, while the Financial Times titled its story, “Kushner and Witkoff’s blind amateurism.”
Washington has pursued negotiations without its European allies since US President Donald Trump cut off military aid to Ukraine and agreed to meet with Putin last year.
This year, Russia has again suffered setbacks, notably during the Oleksandrivka counteroffensive, which reclaimed 745sq km (290 square miles) in the eastern and southern Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions.