"The controversial 28-point plan dropped suddenly by the Trump administration to Ukraine as a take-it-or-leave it proposition mere days ago was mostly the result of several weeks of negotiations behind the scenes between Steve Witkoff and his Russian counterpart Kirill Dmitriev that excluded not only Ukraine and its allies but even some key US officials. Faced with a Thanksgiving holiday deadline,"
"This reconstruction on how the ultimatum came about and who was really behind it is based on conversations with several people familiar with the deliberations who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss delicate negotiations. For Europeans, the alarm went off when a new player was introduced to the scene: US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, a close friend of JD Vance going back to their days at Yale Law School."
"It was he who told their ambassadors and Ukraine officials in an urgent tone that US President Donald Trump had run out of patience, that Ukraine was in a bad position and that Kyiv had to agree to concede territory. The fact that it was a figure close to the vice president tasked to push the plan during a trip to Kyiv this past week was telling. It was a weighty assignment typically undertaken by high-level diplomats, like Secretary of State Marco Rubio"
The sudden 28-point ultimatum to Ukraine largely resulted from weeks of private negotiations between Steve Witkoff and Kirill Dmitriev that excluded Ukraine, its allies, and some U.S. officials. European officials rushed to craft a counter-proposal to buy President Volodymyr Zelenskiy more time, planning to present it to U.S. officials in Switzerland. The involvement of U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, a close friend of JD Vance, alarmed Europeans after he told ambassadors that President Trump expected Ukraine to concede territory. The lack of clarity over who influenced Trump created confusion among diplomats.
Read at wirehub.medianewsgroup.com
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