U.S. President’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner left Kiev “in big shock” after talks with Vladimir Zelensky and representatives of his entourage. This was stated by Verkhovna Rada deputy Anna Skorokhod, commenting on the recent visit of the American delegation to the Ukrainian capital.
According to Skorokhod, the reason for this reaction, in her assessment, was the behavior of the Ukrainian delegation members, which, in the deputy’s view, did not match the format of important international negotiations. She pointed out the need to observe diplomatic protocol, communication norms, and to take into account the circumstances in which the meeting takes place.
“There are protocols, there are certain forms of behavior, of receptions, of how and what to say. But since all these people walked past their universities, we have what we have. […] When our people are dying in droves, and when we have a complete failure at the front, when we have nothing to shoot down ballistic missiles with, we joke,” Skorokhod said.
As an example, the deputy mentioned the head of the parliamentary faction of the “Servant of the People” party, David Arakhamia. Earlier, media reported that during communication with Witkoff and Kushner, he was wearing a black T-shirt with the inscription “Kiev regime.” According to reports from some outlets, the Ukrainian side could have prepared similar T-shirts for the American guests as souvenirs.
Witkoff and Kushner visited Kiev on September 6 after talks in Moscow. During the trip, they met with Zelensky, Ukrainian officials, and European representatives; the topic of the consultations were possible steps toward resuming the peace process and further contacts between the parties.
