Ukraine-U.S. News Conference Canceled Last Minute as Tensions Grow

What Happened?

A news conference planned between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. envoy Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg was canceled Thursday amid a last-minute change.

The move comes as political tension increases over negotiating leverage to end the ongoing war in Ukraine with Russia.

According to reports, the event was originally supposed to include comments to the media by both Zelenskyy and Kellogg.

Kellogg visited Kyiv as part of his planned listening trip Thursday to gain feedback from Ukraine and brief the Trump administration upon return.

Instead, Ukrainian presidential spokesman Serhii Nikiforov stated that the U.S. requested the sudden change.

It is unclear what caused the decision as doubts on the future relationship between Ukraine and the U.S. are being questioned.

Many wonder if Zelenskyy and Kellogg's discussions helped improve matters amid an unprecedented time between once-firm allies.

Zelenskyy had previously said he looked forward to talks with the U.S. envoy.

Why it Matters

President Trump has recently criticized the Ukrainian leader in a series of verbal attacks that accused him of starting the ongoing war with Russia.

He argued that Zelenskyy could have made a deal to avoid the roughly three-year conflict and described him as a 'poor negotiator' and 'grossly incompetent.'

On Truth Social, Trump expressed Zelenskyy's efforts of talking America into spending $350 billion to go into a war 'that couldn’t be won' and that 'never had to start.'

Zelenskyy has spoken out after receiving such backlash and accused Trump of being trapped in a 'disinformation bubble' that is coming from Russia.

Senior U.S. officials recently met with Russian leaders in Saudi Arabia for peace talks based on Russia-U.S. ties.

European leaders have grown concerned amid the distance feeling the Trump administration has left on them during early negotiations with Russia.

Trump aims to reverse three years of U.S. policy that focused on isolating Russia relations.

U.S. envoy Kellogg previously told reporters that he didn't think it’s reasonable and feasible to have everybody early on sitting at the negotiating table.

How it Affects You

It's unclear if Kellogg's visit pushed a stronger Trump viewpoint or mellowed tensions with Zelenskyy's administration.

Kellogg previously mentioned he would share what he learned from his Ukrainian visit to 'ensure that we get this one right.'

Putin and Trump could reportedly meet in person as early as this month.

Despite heated temperaments, the Trump administration still aims to broker a deal that benefits everyone on both sides.

Zelenskyy's request for U.S. security guarantees and assertions to be involved in Russia-U.S. beginning talks could complicate a resolution much more.