Trump Backs From Deal As Leak of Witkoff Coaching Kremlin Raises More Doubts

Criticism of the ostensible 28 point Ukraine peace plan (now reportedly whittled down to 19)  had already reached a crescendo, with Europeans, Ukrainians and many US Republicans angrily expressing open outrage at

the blatantly one-sided and tone-deaf document. And then someone leaked an exchange between Trump envoy Steve Witkoff in which he was heard openly coaching the Russians on how to win Trump over. Within a day of that revelation, Trump was distancing himself from any deadline and from the deal itself. 

There are those who believe Witkoff is Trump's useful idiot, a billionaire real estate guy who does not understand diplomacy but favors Russia's corrupt business practices and thinks bravado plus money can get anything. There is, though, a darker interpretation, which is that Witkoff, possibly with Trump's connivance and deniability, views this as a potentially wealth-enhancing real estate deal, the lives of tens of millions of Ukrainians be damned. Either way, in business and in government, what you never want to do is embarrass your boss. Witkoff will be furious that someone 'betrayed' him, though his apparent naivete when it comes to technology is almost cute. The reality is that this deal was never going to work. And as long as Witkoff remains at the center of these discussions, no US proposal probably ever will. JL

Rob Crilly reports in The Telegraph and Olena Goncharova reports in the Kyiv Independent:

President Trump said on Nov. 25 that Ukraine faces deadline to accept the original 28-point proposal, walking back earlier remarks he wanted a deal by Thanksgiving. When asked about criticism of the proposal, Trump said "that was just a map." The leak of his envoy Steve Witkoff's call with Putin’s adviser throws progress in peace talks into doubt once again, and illustrates the limits of Mr Witkoff’s understanding of Russia and its leaders. Witkoff’s coaching of Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s top foreign policy aide, on how to handle Mr Trump and the peace process is deeply embarrassing. That it could have been leaked by the Russians, the Ukrainians, any number of European allies, or rivals in his own administration, shows that Mr Witkoff’s style may be running out of time. 

Donald Trump arrived in office as the dealmaker-in-chief.

He has delighted in choosing unconventional figures to lead negotiations in the belief that a background in the nitty-gritty of New York real estate is more useful than a career in international relations wonkery.

It meant Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, were not constrained by decades of bloody stalemate in Gaza. Instead they confounded critics by delivering a ceasefire in the territory, even if it has not completely silenced the guns nor found much progress yet towards a longer term peace.

 

But Mr Witkoff’s lack of experience may now have been badly exposed in the leak of an extraordinary phone call with a senior Kremlin official.

Who leaked it and why will have to wait for another day. (Although there are obvious suspects in a Russian administration that appears content to delay and prevaricate its way through peace talks while its bombs and drones fall on Ukrainian targets.)

 

And it is worth remembering that diplomacy is always best carried out far from the gaze of the media, where currying favour with thuggish leaders or making ugly promises with negotiators is the price of progress.

 

Even with those caveats, Mr Witkoff’s apparent coaching of Yuri Ushakov, Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy aide, on how to handle Mr Trump and the stop-start peace process is deeply embarrassing.

He offers advice for Putin’s call with the US president (ladle on the praise) and goes on to suggest that the Russian president propose a similar deal for Ukraine as the one that ended fighting in Gaza.

 

“I told the president that you - that the Russian Federation has always wanted a peace deal,” Mr Witkoff said, according to a recording of the conversation reviewed and transcribed by Bloomberg.

“That’s my belief. I told the president I believe that.”

 

Was he just saying that for the benefit of Mr Ushakov? A bit of diplomatic buttering up? Or does he really think the country that launched an illegal invasion of Ukraine has always wanted a peace deal?

Perhaps most damning of all, he says that it might be a good idea for Putin to talk with Mr Trump ahead of a forthcoming White House meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president. At the time, the American president’s stance on Putin had been hardening.

But after that phone call on Oct 16, Mr Trump announced he would soon be meeting the Russian president in Budapest, a meeting that never happened. He also cooled on the idea of sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.

 

A second call obtained by Bloomberg goes on to show how the Russian side sees an opportunity for mischief, passing along their positions to the Americans without actually committing to anything.

We don’t know whether Mr Trump’s special presidential envoy for peace missions was just as flattering when he spoke with Ukrainian officials. Or whether he offered similar help, advising them on how to stay in his boss’s good graces or how to stay a step ahead of the Russians.

But the leak of his call with Putin’s adviser throws progress in peace talks into doubt once again, and illustrates the limits of Mr Witkoff’s understanding of Russia and its leaders.

It hints at the idea that he is too close to Moscow, and fails to understand the threat from Putin.

 

That it could have been leaked by the Russians, the Ukrainians, any number of European allies, or rivals in his own administration, only shows that Mr Witkoff’s style of thinking outside the box may be running out of time. 

 

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Nov. 25 that Ukraine faces no set deadline to accept the originally drafted 28-point proposal, walking back earlier remarks hinting he wanted a deal by Thanksgiving.

"The deadline for me is when it’s over," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. He added that U.S. negotiators were making progress in talks with both Moscow and Kyiv, adding that Russia had agreed to "some concessions," although he didn't provide any details.

A U.S.-drafted framework for ending the war developed behind closed doors by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in coordination with Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev, first reported last week, has raised concerns that Washington may pressure Ukraine into signing a deal favorable to the Kremlin.

The Financial Times previously reported that the 28-point plan had been cut down to 19 points during talks among U.S., Ukrainian, and European delegations in Geneva.

When asked about criticism of the 28-point proposal, Trump said "that was just a map."