White House weighs reshaping US negotiating team on Ukraine war; spokesperson denies report

Why it matters

The reported reshuffle, if it happens, would rearrange who speaks for Washington to Moscow and Kyiv at a moment when US-led peace efforts have been paused since late February, partly because the Trump administration pivoted to a war with Iran. Ratcliffe's late-August visit to Moscow — the first time a CIA director has personally joined this kind of diplomacy — points to intelligence, rather than envoy-based, channels becoming more central. The White House's unusually sharp public denial of the FT story, calling it 'completely fake news,' means the underlying reporting is openly contested, and it remains unclear whether any personnel changes will actually be made.

What happened

On September 9, the Financial Times reported that the White House is considering reducing the involvement of US special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in negotiations on the Russia–Ukraine war, and that CIA Director John Ratcliffe could take a larger role in shuttle diplomacy between Russia and Ukraine while continuing to liaise with the intelligence services of both countries. The FT said five people familiar with the plans provided the information and that Trump had not yet made a final decision; the White House and CIA declined to comment on the possible changes.

The same day, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said on X that the FT report is 'completely fake news' and that Witkoff and Kushner continue to work extremely hard on a peace deal, with Trump's full trust. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov separately denied that Putin had ever planned to meet Ratcliffe during the CIA director's late-August Moscow visit, contradicting FT sources who said Putin canceled such a meeting after Ratcliffe gave a blunt assessment of Russia's military situation.

The report came against a backdrop of renewed US activity around Ukraine: Ratcliffe's previously undisclosed August 25 visit to Moscow, in which he discussed the wars in Ukraine and Iran and Russian 'hybrid' threats to Europe with Russian intelligence officials; Witkoff's and Kushner's subsequent trip to Moscow and Kyiv; their September 6 meeting in Kyiv with Zelensky, after which Zelensky said Ukraine is ready to return to trilateral talks; Zelensky's September 8 suggestion that a new trilateral meeting could be held in the UAE, Switzerland or Turkey; and the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's announcement the same day that a Zelensky–Trump meeting had been agreed for the second half of September. Trump called Putin on September 8 urging the quickest possible end to the war.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

Ukrainian outlets reported the FT story prominently, but most also foregrounded the White House denial and Zelensky's own diplomatic moves. Several framed the story around the potential sidelining of Witkoff and Kushner and a larger CIA role, while repeatedly noting Anna Kelly's rejection of the FT reporting. Ukrainian reporting also emphasized domestic context that international coverage largely missed: Zelensky's September 6 statement, made in Kyiv alongside the two envoys, that Ukraine is ready to return to trilateral talks; his September 8 suggestion of possible new trilateral venues in the UAE, Switzerland or Turkey; and the announced Zelensky–Trump meeting for the second half of September. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi's confirmation of the Zelensky–Trump meeting featured in several Ukrainian write-ups, presenting Ukraine as ready to negotiate while awaiting Washington's decision on its team.

How international sources describe it

The single non-Ukrainian source in the supplied set is an English-language report from the Azerbaijani agency APA, which paraphrases the FT story and focuses on the potential reduction of Witkoff's and Kushner's roles. It does not include the White House denial or the recent Ukrainian diplomatic moves around the Kyiv meeting, the suggested trilateral venues, or the announced Zelensky–Trump meeting, so international framing in this set concentrates on the personnel reshuffle angle as reported by FT rather than on the broader diplomatic picture.

Where reporting differs

The core disagreement is between the Financial Times and the White House. FT, citing five people familiar with the plans, reported that the White House is considering reducing the involvement of Witkoff and Kushner in the Russia–Ukraine talks and giving CIA Director Ratcliffe a larger role in shuttle diplomacy, and noted Trump has not made a final decision. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly publicly rejected the story as 'completely fake news' and said Trump fully trusts Witkoff and Kushner to lead negotiations.

A second disagreement concerns Ratcliffe's August 25 visit to Moscow. FT, citing two sources, reported that Putin initially planned to meet Ratcliffe but canceled after the CIA director gave an unflattering assessment of Russia's military situation to senior intelligence officials. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied that any such Putin–Ratcliffe meeting had ever been planned, and said the September 8 Putin–Trump phone call did not touch on changes to the negotiating delegation.

Background

US-led negotiations to end Russia's war against Ukraine have been paused since late February, in part because the Trump administration shifted focus to a war with Iran. In late August, CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow, becoming the first head of US intelligence to personally join this kind of diplomacy; during the visit he discussed the wars in Ukraine and Iran, and Russian 'hybrid' threats to Europe, with senior Russian intelligence officials. Special envoys Witkoff and Kushner then visited Moscow and Kyiv and on September 6 met President Zelensky in Kyiv, after which Zelensky said Ukraine is ready to return to trilateral talks. On September 8, Zelensky floated possible new trilateral venues in the UAE, Switzerland or Turkey, and the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced that a Zelensky–Trump meeting had been agreed for the second half of September; Trump also called Putin that day urging the quickest possible end to the war.