Talks which, frankly, are a waste of time in my view, facilitated by a U.S. administration and Witkoff, whose financial ties to Russia represent a glaring conflict of interest in any process claiming to be a serious or trustworthy negotiation.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has attributed the situation to a lack of preparation and appropriate response from the local authorities, explicitly alluding to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko's poor management.