UkraineThe Kyiv Independent Live in London: October 2United Kingdom

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Politics

U.S. Special Envoy for Peace Missions Steve Witkoff in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 6, 2026.
Politics

Exclusive: Ukraine, Russia are done with Steve Witkoff. Trump sees no problem

by Tim Zadorozhnyy

Kyiv and Moscow are growing increasingly frustrated with the U.S.-mediated peace process — and with Washington's Envoy Steve Witkoff, people familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent. Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who has emerged as a key peace negotiator, traveled to Russia and Ukraine in early September in an attempt to restart stalled negotiations. They left both countries with little to show for the effort. Behind the scenes, however, several separate efforts are

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Kyiv's bomb shelters are in a dire state. Mayor Klitschko is passing on the blame

On the night of Aug. 1, Olena Rozhniativska and her 18-year-old daughter Kateryna rushed to a bomb shelter as ballistic missiles tore into Kyiv during one of Russia's mass attacks. They were killed before they could hide in an underground shelter, along with five other people in Darnytskyi district that night. "I didn't even have time to get out of the bedroom before there was already this terrible explosion," recalls Raisa, a 70-year-old Darnytskyi resident who does not want to be identified.

People take shelter during a Russian missile and drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 4, 2025.
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