FT reports US may sideline Witkoff and Kushner in Ukraine talks, expand CIA chief's role; White House calls story "fake news"
The Financial Times reported that the White House is considering reducing the roles of US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in negotiations to end Russia's war against Ukraine, and giving CIA Director John Ratcliffe a larger part in shuttle diplomacy with Moscow and Kyiv. The White House publicly rejected the story as "entirely fake news," with spokesperson Anna Kelly saying President Donald Trump fully trusts Witkoff and Kushner to lead negotiations. FT stands by its reporting, citing five people familiar with the plans. The dispute comes against the backdrop of Ratcliffe's late-August visit to Moscow and ongoing efforts to relaunch Ukraine–Russia–US trilateral talks.
Key points
- Financial Times reported the White House is considering reducing the roles of Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Ukraine negotiations.
- CIA Director John Ratcliffe could take on a larger role in shuttle diplomacy between Russia and Ukraine while maintaining contacts with both countries' intelligence services, according to FT.
- White House spokesperson Anna Kelly on September 9 called the FT report "entirely fake news" and said Trump fully trusts Witkoff and Kushner to lead negotiations.
- Donald Trump has not yet made a final decision on any reshuffle of the negotiating team, according to FT sources.
- CIA Director Ratcliffe visited Moscow around August 25, the first time a US intelligence chief personally joined diplomatic efforts on the war; he discussed the wars in Ukraine and Iran and Russian hybrid threats to Europe with senior Russian intelligence officials.
- On September 6 Zelensky told a press conference with Witkoff and Kushner in Kyiv that Ukraine is ready to return to trilateral talks; on September 8 he suggested a new meeting could be held in the UAE, Switzerland, or Turkey.
- Witkoff is likely to keep his position as US special envoy for peace missions, which also covers Middle East negotiations, and Kushner has told friends he plans to step back from the Ukraine track.
- Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied that a Putin-Ratcliffe meeting in Moscow was ever planned, contradicting an FT account that Putin initially planned to meet Ratcliffe but cancelled.
Why it matters
If the FT reporting is borne out, the shift would mark a significant reorganisation of the US team handling peace talks on the war in Ukraine, with the CIA Director potentially taking a leading diplomatic role traditionally reserved for a special envoy and the president's son-in-law. It comes after roughly a year and a half of largely fruitless negotiations with Russia and as the Trump administration is also focused on the war with Iran. The public denial from the White House, in unusually sharp terms, highlights a rare direct clash between the US administration and a major Western outlet over the direction of Ukraine policy, and leaves allies in Europe, Ukraine and Russia uncertain about who will actually be at the table.
What happened
The Financial Times reported, citing five people familiar with the plans, that the White House is weighing a reshuffle of its Ukraine negotiating team: reducing the involvement of Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and giving CIA Director John Ratcliffe a bigger part in shuttle diplomacy with Moscow and Kyiv while he continues to liaise with the intelligence services of both countries. According to FT sources, Trump has not yet made a final decision. On September 9 White House spokesperson Anna Kelly rejected the story in a post on X, calling it "entirely fake news" attributed to "low-level anonymous sources" and saying Witkoff and Kushner continue to work "extremely hard" on a peace deal with Trump's full trust. Kelly also accused FT of publishing before the stated comment deadline and of falsely claiming the White House had refused to comment, and labelled FT a "left-wing yellow publication." FT stands by its reporting. Separately, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied that a Putin-Ratcliffe meeting had been planned, contradicting an FT account that Putin had initially intended to meet the CIA chief but cancelled after Ratcliffe delivered an unflinching assessment of Russia's military position. Witkoff is expected to retain his title as US special envoy for peace missions, which also covers Middle East negotiations, and Kushner has told friends he plans to step back from the Ukraine track and focus on Gaza and the US-Israel confrontation with Iran.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian media, which are the only sources for this story in the synthesis, reported the FT claims in detail while also prominently relaying the White House denial, adopting an attentive, wait-and-see tone rather than taking a side. Several outlets lead with the prospect of Ratcliffe's expanded role, framing it as a possible shift toward more direct, intelligence-channel diplomacy between Washington and Moscow and Kyiv. Coverage highlights President Volodymyr Zelensky's September 6 statement in Kyiv, alongside Witkoff and Kushner, that Ukraine is ready to return to trilateral talks, his September 8 suggestion that a new meeting could be held in the UAE, Switzerland or Turkey, and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi's confirmation that a personal Zelensky-Trump meeting has been agreed for the second half of September. Ukrainian reporting also gives space to the reported friction between Ratcliffe and Witkoff and to the public disagreement between the White House and FT, presenting both sides.
Where reporting differs
There is a direct clash between the White House and the Financial Times over the underlying story. The White House, through spokesperson Anna Kelly on September 9, called the FT report "entirely fake news" and said Trump fully trusts Witkoff and Kushner to lead negotiations, while FT stands by its reporting citing five people familiar with the plans and notes that Trump has not yet made a final decision. Kelly also accused FT of publishing before its comment deadline and of falsely claiming the White House had refused to comment, and labelled the paper a "left-wing yellow publication." A second disagreement concerns Ratcliffe's Moscow visit: FT reported that Putin initially planned to meet the CIA director but cancelled after Ratcliffe gave a harsh assessment of Russia's military position; Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied that any Putin-Ratcliffe meeting had been planned. Some coverage frames the FT story as a probable or imminent reshuffle, while later White House statements and rebuttal-focused reporting describe it as unverified or false, leading to different framings of how likely the reported changes actually are.
Background
The Trump administration began considering changes to its Ukraine negotiating team after peace efforts stalled in late February; the diplomatic process was subsequently paused as the administration focused on the war with Iran. CIA Director John Ratcliffe made an unexpected visit to Moscow around August 25, the first time a US intelligence chief personally joined diplomatic efforts on the war, and discussed the wars in Ukraine and Iran and Russian hybrid threats to Europe with senior Russian intelligence officials. According to sources, one aim of the visit was to warn Putin about a possible attack on NATO, including the Baltic countries, and Ratcliffe reaffirmed US commitment to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty; he also proposed to Russian security officials a trilateral Putin-Zelensky-Trump summit. About a week later Witkoff and Kushner travelled to Moscow and Kyiv and expressed optimism about resuming trilateral talks, though sources said the Americans brought no new ideas and Putin showed no willingness to back down. On September 6 Zelensky met Witkoff and Kushner in Kyiv and said Ukraine is ready to return to trilateral talks; on September 8 he suggested a new Ukraine-Russia-US meeting could be held in the UAE, Switzerland or Turkey, and the same day Trump called Putin to press for an early end to the war. European capitals reportedly welcomed the prospect of Witkoff being sidelined after roughly a year and a half of largely fruitless negotiations with Russia. Witkoff is expected to retain his title as US special envoy for peace missions, which also covers Middle East negotiations, and Kushner has told friends he plans to step back from the Ukraine track and focus on Gaza and the US-Israel confrontation with Iran.