US diplomacy is facing criticism following Russia's intensified social media attacks against Ukrainian officials.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have been perceived as embarrassing and amateurish after their recent attempt to broker a ceasefire in Russia's war in Ukraine, suggesting that European patience with the US administration is waning.
"Jared Kushner’s incompetence was on full display this weekend," wrote Slate magazine. "The Witkoff-Kushner circus act is an embarrassment," commented the Daily Telegraph, while the Financial Times headlined its report, "Kushner and Witkoff’s blind amateurism."
Washington has pursued negotiations independently of its European allies since US President Donald Trump halted military aid to Ukraine and agreed to meet with Putin last year.
Witkoff drew criticism for openly flattering Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating, "When we retire, we’ll have all these incredible stories and incredible memories, and yours will be right at the top of it all."
Ukraine ceased firing missiles and drones at Moscow between September 5 and 7 to allow the US envoys' aircraft to travel safely between the capitals. Russia also paused attacks during their visits to Kyiv.
"Please come more often, so that our people have the chance to live normally," Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy remarked humorously at a joint media conference.
However, immediately after Witkoff and Kushner departed, Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles on Kyiv, resulting in at least four civilian deaths on September 8 and 9.
Russia has shown little inclination towards a peace deal. Putin’s diplomatic aide, Valery Ushakov, informed the US envoys that Moscow remains committed to achieving all its objectives in Ukraine.
"Russia intends to achieve the goals of the special military operation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on September 8. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told the Vedomosti newspaper two days later, "Of course, we’re all interested in ending the conflict as quickly as possible. Moreover, it must end on our terms, in order to prevent the possibility of it recurring in the future or spreading into a global conflict. Nuclear weapons can be used in certain circumstances. This isn't a scare tactic."
Zelenskyy maintains that only battlefield success will compel Moscow to negotiate. "Without a strong position on the ground, there will only be ultimatums," he said this week.
Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Kyiv on the fourth anniversary of Ukraine’s Kharkiv offensive, which liberated 11,500 square kilometers (4,440 square miles) of northern Ukrainian territory from Russian occupation, including over 500 settlements. Subsequently, Russian forces withdrew from approximately 8,000 square kilometers (3,100 square miles) of territory they had occupied on the right bank of the Dnipro River in the southern Kherson region, deeming it indefensible. These actions, along with Russia's earlier lifting of sieges on Kyiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv, reduced the Russian-occupied territory from over a quarter of Ukraine to less than a fifth. Since then, Russia has made only minor territorial gains at a significant cost.
Ukraine's military leadership claims that since the war began, Russia has suffered 1.5 million personnel losses, encompassing both killed and incapacitated soldiers. This year, Russia has experienced further setbacks, notably during the Oleksandrivka counteroffensive, which recaptured 745 square kilometers (290 square miles) in the eastern and southern Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Russian targets have appeared to escalate in recent days, with a focus on Ukrainian officials.
On September 4, a drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s internal security service, the SBU. The SBU reported, "The drone was deliberately directed at the office of the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Oleksandr Poklad." Ukrainian defense adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov identified it as a jet-powered Geran-4 Russian drone, one of two launched from the occupied eastern Donetsk region towards Kyiv.
Beskrestnov believes an agent within 5 kilometers (3 miles) of SBU headquarters guided the drone intended for Poklad in its final approach. Zelenskyy instructed Poklad to respond "appropriately, significantly and, if possible, in kind," later adding that "the geographical areas for the response have been determined."
On September 8, Russia nearly struck Zelenskyy’s plane as it waited on the tarmac in Chisinau, Moldova. The plane was carrying Zelenskyy, his wife Olena, and Moldovan premier Maia Sandu to Oslo for the funeral of King Harald V. Norwegian premier Jonas Gahr Store confirmed the plane narrowly avoided being hit.
These incidents occurred after Zelenskyy warned airlines on September 1 that "Russian airspace is becoming completely dangerous" and was "in effect closing" due to Ukrainian long-range drone operations.
Ukraine has continued its long-range operations over the past week, targeting Russian oil and military infrastructure. Between September 4 and 10, Ukraine struck at least seven refineries and gas condensate processing plants. Two of these strikes, targeting the Novy Urengoy and Purovsky gas condensate plants, were at an unprecedented range of 3,000 kilometers (1,860 miles) from Ukraine's border, located beyond the Ural Mountains in the Siberian Arctic region of Yamalia.
Closer to home, Ukraine also struck the military airfield at Rostov-on-Don and the Russian port of Makhachkala on the Caspian Sea. The Ukrainian military stated these locations were "used to supply military personnel in both directions: components and attack UAVs of the Shahed type from Iran to the Russian Federation, [and] explosives, components for drones and ammunition from the Russian Federation to Iran."
Ukraine views these attacks as effective, as Russia's finance ministry reported a $67.9 billion deficit for the first eight months of the war. This figure is one-and-a-half times its deficit during the same period last year and significantly exceeds the $44.5 billion deficit budgeted for the entirety of 2026. The ministry attributed this to increased expenditures and decreased revenues from oil and gas. Revenues were 16 percent lower than in the first eight months of 2025, totaling just under $58 billion, according to Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service. Expenditures are almost certainly military-related. The Intelligence Service assessed that Russia spent a record $126.7 billion on defense in the first half of this year, a 30 percent increase compared to the same period last year, 65 percent higher than in the first half of 2024, and 145 percent higher than in the corresponding period of 2023.
