Exclusive: Trump's top envoy negotiating Ukraine's fate displays 'shocking' lack of knowledge about war, politics
Editor's note: This story has been updated with a response from the White House.
A senior U.S. envoy involved in efforts to end Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine has displayed a lack of basic understanding of Ukraine's political system and the war itself while speaking in a closed conversation with a small group of reporters, the Kyiv Independent has learned.
The official is engaged in high-level negotiations with both Moscow and Kyiv as Ukraine, Russia, and the United States reenter an active diplomatic phase under President Donald Trump's renewed push to end the war.
During recent conversations with reporters, the U.S. official incorrectly claimed that Kyrylo Budanov, the recently appointed head of the President's Office and former chief of military intelligence, now serves as Ukraine's vice president.
"General Budanov is now their vice president," the official said.
Ukraine does not have a vice president. Under the constitution, the president is the head of state, and if the president cannot perform their duties, authority temporarily passes to the chairperson of parliament.
The head of the President's Office serves as the president's top aide and chief of staff, overseeing daily operations, coordinating policy across government agencies, and managing relations with parliament, security institutions, and foreign partners.
The role is influential but does not carry constitutional executive powers.
The same U.S. official also appeared unaware of key facts about the war's timeline. When asked whether Trump's peace push was aimed at ending the war by its fourth anniversary on Feb. 24, the official suggested they did not know when the full-scale invasion began.
"I wasn't aware of what that anniversary date was," the top U.S. envoy answered. "I don't think we feel pressure to because we have a four-year anniversary."
The official went further, inaccurately claiming that Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine has lasted longer than World War II.
"I think it's the longest war now. It was longer than World War II. At this point, it's been going on."
That claim is misleading. Russia launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, and the war will enter its fifth year next month.
While it has now lasted longer than the German-Soviet war of 1941–1945, World War II as a whole began in September 1939 with Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland and ended in 1945, making it a longer conflict overall.
The White House provided a statement in response to Kyiv Independent's reporting.
"President Trump and his entire team have done more than anyone to stop the killing and bring peace to this brutal war, including by bringing both sides together for trilateral talks last weekend," White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said.
"It's pathetic that this 'reporter' was too scared to reach out to the White House for comment, as he does frequently, because he knows this story is nonsense and the United States has been working incredibly hard to save lives."
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Why it matters
The remarks have heightened concern in Kyiv about the composition and preparedness of Washington's negotiating team.
Trump's envoys tasked with resolving Russia's war lack traditional diplomatic backgrounds, a departure from past U.S. practice. Oleksandr Merezhko, head of Ukraine's parliament foreign affairs committee, described the situation as deeply troubling.
"This is a serious problem," Merezhko told the Kyiv Independent. "(The envoy) has already made several big mistakes — both technical and, in essence, serious diplomatic ones."
Merezhko said the U.S. official appears susceptible to Russian narratives and approaches negotiations through a transactional lens rather than a political or legal one.
"For example, (they) view territorial issues as real estate," Merezhko said. "That is completely wrong. They do not know the basics — the fundamentals of politics, history, international law."
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer told the Kyiv Independent that the U.S. official also lacks experienced advisors on Russia and Ukraine.
"By contrast, Putin, who has a deep understanding of the details of these negotiations, is usually accompanied by his foreign policy advisor, Yuri Ushakov, who served nine years as Russia's ambassador to the United States," Pifer added.
Influence inside the US delegation
Alexandra Filippenko, an expert on U.S.–Russia relations, described the official as "simply someone who Trump trusts," rather than a seasoned diplomat, explaining why he was entrusted with such a sensitive portfolio.
Christian Caryl, a columnist for Foreign Policy, said the case fits a long-standing pattern in U.S. diplomacy, where individuals with little experience are appointed to ambassadorial posts as rewards for campaign contributions or loyalty to the president.
"That said, I don't think we've ever seen a case quite as extreme as (with the U.S. official)," Caryl added. "It is clear that this lack of awareness poses serious risks for Ukraine."
John Haltiwanger, a staff writer for Foreign Policy, added that the portfolio handed to the U.S. official by the Trump administration would be extremely challenging even for someone with extensive experience in diplomacy and geopolitics.
"Generally, such discussions are spearheaded by the U.S. Secretary of State or career diplomats, who are often assisted and advised by a team of subject matter experts and other officials," Haltiwanger added.
Merezhko was blunt in his assessment of the U.S. official's role, calling him "very naive" and "inexperienced," and saying they sometimes make "shocking" statements, arguing that he should be removed from the delegation altogether.
A source in the President's Office told the Kyiv Independent that within the U.S. delegation, Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, is increasingly emerging as the dominant figure, exercising greater influence over the talks than other members of the team.
"Even Kushner looks more professional," Merezhko said, adding that Kushner appears to have been included "to play the role of a kind of commissar."
"President Trump is returning to an older style diplomacy where it is conducted not by experts, but by someone close to and trusted by the ruler," Nicholas Westcott, a professor of practice in diplomacy at SOAS University and a former diplomat, said.
"This can work fine on simple issues; but for complex, often deeply historical issues, such as Ukraine, it is a handicap not to have diplomatic experience in the region."
As negotiations resume, the risk is not only bad optics but flawed decision-making, at a moment when diplomacy touches on issues central to Ukraine's survival.
Reporter Kateryna Denisova contributed to reporting.
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