"Servant of People" Merezhko: No breakthrough in talks should be expected after Witkoff and Kushner’s visit
Oleksandr Merezhko, chair of the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Policy and Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation and an MP from the Servant of the People faction, believes no breakthrough in the talks should be expected following the visit to Kyiv by US presidential special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
He said this in comments to Censor.NET.
Limited competence and a business approach
Merezhko admitted that he was struck by the special envoys’ level of diplomatic incompetence.
"I listened to their statements and saw people who have neither diplomatic experience nor the necessary knowledge. I do not think they know anything about Ukraine at all – I do not think they have read anything about our history, for example. These are people from a different world – the world of business. In my view, they are quite unprepared. But they do not decide anything. Only Trump does. However, the issue is not even the US president, but the fact that Putin does not want to end the war. He continues to insist on his absurd demands. In particular, the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk region. For us, this is completely unacceptable. It will not happen. That is clear. Putin understands this too, so he will keep trying to discredit us in Trump’s eyes. He has not abandoned his main goal – destroying us as a state. Putin has neither the intention to negotiate seriously nor the desire for any compromise," the MP noted, adding: "But I believe our policy and strategy are right. On the one hand, we continue to carry out "deep strikes" – destroying Russia’s war machine. This is entirely appropriate, as it at least speeds up the negotiations. On the other hand, we continue our diplomatic and political work and try to ensure that Putin does not succeed in discrediting us in Trump’s eyes or creating a pretext for Trump to stop helping Ukraine," the MP said.
The visit to Kyiv is a positive step
According to the committee chair, a rather awkward situation had developed: Witkoff had already visited Moscow eight times without ever visiting Kyiv, so the special envoys had to come here at last.
"So the positive thing is that they finally came. Perhaps they will be less inclined to view the world through the lens of Russian narratives. Perhaps not. It is hard for me to say right now. But there is a chance. So the positive thing is that they came and saw the real situation, rather than only Moscow and Putin’s hospitality. That is a plus. But on the other hand, there could be a downside, because they can now say: ‘You see, we treat everyone fairly. We have been not only to Moscow, but also to Kyiv,’ and then go back to visiting only Moscow," Merezhko said.
The special envoys’ mood in Kyiv and Moscow
The politician also pointed out that the special envoys had been in good spirits during their meeting at the Kremlin but were more reserved in Kyiv.
"This points to and demonstrates Witkoff’s lack of diplomatic professionalism. It was very obvious how delighted he was to see Putin, how much he admires the Kremlin dictator. The Kremlin did not release that video by chance. In politics and diplomacy, it is important to have a ‘poker face’. But here we have someone who is not a diplomat. He lacks the relevant knowledge and experience. And that was very telling. Unfortunately, it is further evidence that he is not an effective professional diplomat here. Of course, that is bad. He thinks like a businessman. He is already thinking about writing his memoirs and making money from them by publishing a bestseller, for example, ‘How I negotiated with Putin’. This is a purely business approach, rather than a diplomatic one," he added.
Witkoff and Kushner’s visit to Moscow
- It was previously reported that US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow.
- At the Kremlin, Witkoff and Kushner met with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
- The talks lasted more than three hours.
Trump’s envoys’ visit to Ukraine
- As previously reported, Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Ukraine.
- In addition to US President Donald Trump’s special envoys, representatives of European partners – France, the United Kingdom and Germany – are on an official visit to Ukraine.
- Zelenskyy began a meeting with Trump’s envoys Witkoff and Kushner.
- Zelenskyy subsequently reported that talks had begun with Witkoff and Kushner.
- While in Kyiv, US presidential special envoy Jared Kushner said that US President Donald Trump was "determined" to end Russia’s war against Ukraine and stop the loss of life.
