Ukrainian Domestic — 2026-09-20

Ukraine and Russia Both Lose Confidence in Trump Envoy Witkoff as Peace Process Stalls

BLUFDespite growing frustration in both Kyiv and Moscow, Trump's personal loyalty to Witkoff makes his removal as lead envoy unlikely by end of 2026.

Ukrainian and Russian officials are increasingly frustrated with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff's role in the peace process, and separate efforts are underway in both capitals to sideline him and disrupt his relationship with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, the Kyiv Independent reported citing people familiar with the matter 12. Ukrainian officials say Washington has offered few new ideas and shown little willingness to pressure Moscow, describing Witkoff as insufficiently serious about the war and noting he misread Putin's "3+2" territorial proposal in April 2025 despite having met the Russian leader at least seven times; Russian officials blame him for diplomatic failures including last year's Alaska summit, where the Russian delegation reportedly left without touching lunch, and the collapse of a 28-point memorandum he negotiated with Dmitriev, partly over his use of Kremlin interpreters instead of U.S. ones 1. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly rejected the report as "fake news nonsense" and said Witkoff and President Trump are "working incredibly hard" to end the conflict 1. Trump has shown no indication he plans to remove Witkoff from the negotiating channel 12.

Analysis
Trump's continued backing makes Witkoff's removal as lead envoy unlikely by December 31, 2026, since he has shown no sign of dislodging him and no rival channel, including a potential Ratcliffe role, has been formally activated. Moscow itself views Ratcliffe as too sympathetic to Kyiv, and Dmitriev's parallel position in the Kremlin remains structurally intact despite comparable criticism. Early-September visits by Witkoff and Kushner to both capitals produced no breakthrough, shifting both sides from skepticism toward active efforts to sideline him. The dual-capital criticism may instead reflect Kremlin hardliners like Lavrov and Bortnikov maneuvering against Dmitriev's dovish faction rather than genuine bilateral consensus for Witkoff's removal. This judgment carries low confidence, resting on a single Kyiv Independent report built on anonymous officials that other outlets have merely relayed without independent corroboration. Retaining Witkoff lets Washington keep routing pressure and proposals through the existing channel, sparing policymakers the cost of vetting a new interlocutor and rebuilding trust in both capitals.

2 sources

Exclusive: Ukraine, Russia are done with Steve Witkoff. Trump sees no problem - Kyiv Independent
Kyiv, Moscow frustrated with Witkoff as peace talks stall - Axar.az