"Pay attention to the dates, because the timing matters. Steve Witkoff spoke with Yuri Ushakov, a Russian official, on October 14. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., on October 17. Trump had been hinting that he would offer to sell Tomahawks, long-range cruise missiles, to the Ukrainian army. But he did not."
"Witkoff, a former real-estate developer, is supposed to be negotiating a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine. He is in theory acting on behalf of the United States but also on behalf of millions of people who want peace in Ukraine and security in Europe. Ushakov, a former Russian ambassador to the United States, has different interests: Like his boss, he wants Russia to win the war."
Steve Witkoff spoke with Yuri Ushakov on October 14, and Vladimir Putin called Donald Trump on October 16. Volodymyr Zelensky met Trump on October 17, and Trump had hinted he might sell Tomahawks to Ukraine but ultimately did not. A leaked tape records Witkoff advising Ushakov to have Putin call Trump and suggesting flattering language and a pitch that Russia has always wanted a peace deal. Witkoff is positioned as a U.S.-aligned negotiator for peace while Ushakov represents Russian interests that favor a Russian victory, creating a conflict of motives that affected outcomes.
#witkoff-ushakov-conversation #putintrump-october-16-call #tomahawk-missile-sale-to-ukraine #ukraine-peace-negotiations
Read at The Atlantic
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