Trump’s special envoy Whitcoff canceled meetings with Zelensky and Yermak in Turkey

U.S. President’s special envoy Steve Witkoff has postponed his trip to Turkey, thereby canceling a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who arrived in Ankara this morning.

This was reported by the American outlet Axios, citing sources.

The meeting between Witkoff and the Ukrainian leader had been scheduled for Wednesday, 19 November.

Last night, The Economist columnist Oliver Carroll reported that talks in Turkey between U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy and the head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, Andriy Yermak, also planned for 19 November, were canceled.

“I was told that Witkoff perhaps didn’t realize what kind of scandal he was walking into when he arranged the meeting,” Carroll said.

He did not provide further details. It is unclear whether he was referring to the major corruption case currently unfolding in Ukraine.

There have been no official comments from Witkoff, Zelensky, or Yermak so far. It is known that Ukrainian representatives arrived in Turkey to step up negotiations on ending the conflict. As part of this, Zelensky is to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. A Turkish diplomatic source did not rule out that, after their talks, contacts with the Russian side might follow.

Yermak has said that all scheduled meetings involving the Ukrainian delegation are going ahead as planned. According to him, communication with Witkoff is also being maintained.

Axios, citing a senior Russian official, also reports that the American side is currently working on a plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine in consultation with Russia.

The source told the outlet he views the plan positively, though it is not yet clear how it will be received by representatives of Ukraine and its European supporters.