The bombshell news of the beginning of the peace negotiations between the United States and Russia sent geopolitical shockwaves across the planet, surprising and shocking many.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, for one, has been hectic, and has protested against negotiations that exclude Ukraine, requested robust security guarantees, refused to sign the agreement ceding the mineral rights to the US, Called for an European army to be formed, Urged US to maintain support, and now makes the meaningless demand Russia to go back to 2022 (pre-war) borders.
And he was, of course, not the only one: Eurocrats like Ursula von der Leyen, Kaja Kallas, plus German, French and even British politicians are having a meltdown or otherwise vowing not to conform to the plan.
The notable exception so far seems to be NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte who appears to be falling in line, telling Europeans to stop whining.
In the meantime, both Donald J. Trump and Vladimir Putin appear to be taking the peace process very seriously, and have both appointed negotiating teams widely regarded as top-tier officials.
Trump announced the negotiating team on a Truth Social post:
“I have asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, to lead the negotiations which, I feel strongly, will be successful…”, Trump wrote.
Many found odd that the President did not mention his special Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg.
‘Hawkish’ Marco Rubio once advocated supporting Ukraine but upgraded to a skeptical position aligned with Trump’s views, and has stated that the Russia-Ukraine war will end through negotiations.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe is considered extremely loyal to Trump. Has said that the war in Ukraine brings the risk of ‘the United States being drawn into a conflict with a nuclear-armed country’.
Michael Waltz visited Kiev, voted in favor of bills providing aid to Ukraine.
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff – According to the US President, Witkoff possesses all the necessary negotiation skills. He has just returned from Moscow with American citizen Mark Fogel, sentenced to 14 years in prison for alleged drug smuggling.
Witkoff reportedly met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit, having also held negotiations with Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Read: Kremlin Confirms – Putin Invited Trump to Moscow To Discuss Ending the War in Ukraine
Vladimir Putin is also reportedly assembling a A-list team of experienced high-stakes negotiators to face off against US President Donald Trump’s representatives.
Bloomberg reported:
“They include Yuri Ushakov, his chief Kremlin foreign-policy adviser who has more than half a century of involvement in diplomacy, and his top spymaster, Sergei Naryshkin, who served with Putin in the Soviet KGB, according to people familiar with situation, who asked not to be identified discussing internal information.
Kirill Dmitriev, a financier educated at Stanford and Harvard with ties to the Russian president’s own family, may play a key role as an unofficial back-channel with Trump’s negotiators, people familiar with the preparations said.”
“That Putin is opting to rely mostly on highly skilled and experienced negotiators to represent Russia in any talks is hardly a surprise. The personnel choices underscore just how determined the Russian leader is to secure a favorable outcome in any negotiations and potentially how little his demands in relation to Ukraine have changed in the three years since he ordered the full-scale invasion.
The addition of Dmitriev, with his experience in the US and with firms like McKinsey & Co. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc., indicates Putin is willing to adapt in his dealings with the unconventional US president.”
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