“The special envoy of the US president has demonstrated a lack of experience in diplomacy.”, — write: www.unian.ua
The special envoy of the US president has demonstrated a lack of experience in diplomacy.
This leak could be a problem / photo Getty ImagesThe lack of experience of the US president’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, appears to have been painfully apparent following the leak of an unprecedented phone conversation with a senior Kremlin official. Who drained him and why is a question for the future. It is important to understand that diplomacy most often works effectively away from the attention of the press – where, in order to achieve progress, sometimes you have to flirt with unpleasant leaders or make promises that are not the most pleasant.
But even with all these caveats in mind, Witkoff’s alleged advice to the Kremlin dictator’s chief foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, on how to deal with Trump and how to lead the fractious peace process looks extremely clumsy, writes The Telegraph.
He gives Putin recommendations before the conversation with the US president – to be more generous with compliments – and then suggests that the Russian leader use an agreement on Ukraine similar to the one that ended the fighting in Gaza.
“I told the president that the Russian Federation has always wanted a peace agreement. That’s my belief. I told the president I believe that,” Witkoff said, according to a transcript of the conversation reviewed and transcribed by Bloomberg.
“Was he saying this solely for the sake of Ushakov – diplomatic flattery? Does he really believe that the country that launched the illegal invasion of Ukraine “always wanted peace”? Perhaps the most disturbing moment is his remark that Putin should talk to Trump before the upcoming meeting at the White House with Volodymyr Zelenskyi, the president of Ukraine,” the article says.
At that time, the position of the American president in relation to Putin was strengthening. But after that call on October 16, Trump announced that he would soon meet with the Russian president in Budapest – the meeting never took place. He also cooled to the idea of sending Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine.
The second call, which was also at the disposal of the publication, shows how the Russian side sees an opportunity for manipulation: it conveys its position to the Americans and does not assume any obligations. Moreover, it remains unknown whether the special envoy of the US president was just as kind to Ukrainian officials – and whether he gave them the same advice on how to stay in the favor of his boss or how to get ahead of the Russians.
But the leaked conversation with Putin’s adviser once again casts doubt on progress in peace talks and shows the limits of Witkoff’s understanding of Russia and its leadership. He hints that he is too close to Moscow and underestimates the threat emanating from Putin, media reports.
The fact that the leak could have come from the Russians, the Ukrainians, a host of European allies or rivals within his own administration only underscores that Witkoff’s style of “thinking outside the box” can quickly stop working.
Other news about Witkoff’s role in the negotiationsEarlier, UNIAN reported that Witkoff will go to Moscow to present the “peace plan” to Putin. According to Trump, only a few differences remain to be reconciled regarding the proposed “peace plan”. He is looking forward to meeting with Zelensky, but when everything is ready.
In addition, we also told how Trump wrote a “peace plan” for Ukraine. Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner began writing the first draft of the plan during the return flight from the Middle East.
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