Putin personally chose Witkoff as a key intermediary to promote his vision for settling the war - WSJ
Kyiv • UNN
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin personally chose Steve Witkoff, a special representative of US President Donald Trump, as a key intermediary to promote his vision for settling the war against Ukraine. Witkoff suits the Kremlin due to his lack of political past and institutional ties, as well as his experience working with authoritarian regimes.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin personally chose US President Donald Trump's special representative Steve Witkoff as a key mediator to advance his vision for resolving the war against Ukraine. This was reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing its own sources, informs UNN.
Details
It is indicated that Witkoff suits the Kremlin for several reasons: he has no political past and institutional ties with American diplomacy, is a businessman with experience working with authoritarian regimes in the Middle East, and has extensive personal contacts, which makes him a convenient channel for informal negotiations outside the classical diplomatic framework.
The Russian president studied the psychological profiles of officials from Trump's inner circle, including Keith Kellogg, a retired three-star general whom Trump appointed as America's envoy to Russia and Ukraine. Putin's intelligence reports emphasized that Kellogg's daughter ran a charity in Ukraine – a red flag signaling that he might be hostile to Russia's demands during future peace talks.
The authors note that Putin and his entourage carefully studied possible negotiators from Trump's team and found Witkoff to be the most suitable. Unlike other candidates, he is not connected with Ukraine, does not coordinate his trips with the CIA, and can come to Russia practically as a private person.
"Witkoff's emergence as an envoy to the Kremlin is partly a story of Putin's maneuvers to sideline American diplomats and engage their billionaires. This was not hard to predict. Trump made no secret of his skepticism about traditional institutions and alliances, valuing the personal loyalty of a long-time friend like Witkoff," the media summarizes.
Recall
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that the United States proposed holding a trilateral meeting of national security advisers from Ukraine, the United States, and Russia. He noted that Ukraine supports this proposal if it unblocks exchanges or leads to a meeting of leaders.
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