Witkoff advises Ushakov: a scandal?
A leak by Bloomberg is causing a commotion. The media company has published a dialogue said to be a transcript of a telephone conversation between US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin aide Yuri Ushakov on 14 October. In a familiar tone, Witkoff tips Ushakov on how Putin should deal with Trump. Europe's press tries to get a handle on the situation.
Either incompetent or worse
Telegram fumes:
“Steve Witkoff is a wealthy property developer with no political experience, and Trump has made him a special envoy for peace negotiations because the two play golf together. The transcripts of the conversations published by Bloomberg confirm that Witkoff is either not up to his task in the highest echelons of diplomacy or is acting as an agent for Russia's interests. It even appears that both assumptions could be true.”
Storm in a teacup
In a Telegram post picked up by Echo, political scientist Vladimir Pastukhov explains why there's nothing unusual about Witkoff's actions:
“The hype surrounding this transcript is linked to the interference of two psychological waves: on the one hand, the ardent desire to expose the Trump plan as a Kremlin special operation and Trump himself as a Russian agent, and on the other, complete ignorance about how such mediation missions are carried out. ... If Trump's plan ultimately fails (which is highly likely), it will not be because the conversation was leaked. ... I fear that the hype surrounding this leak is greatly exaggerated.”
Dangerous convergence of interests
Eesti Ekspress points to the interests Trump and Putin have in common:
“Ukraine wants complete national sovereignty, security guarantees and the right to decide for itself on the size and structure of its armed forces. Putin needs a victory, or at least something he can sell to the Russian people as a victory. Trump wants the Nobel Peace Prize and lasting fame as the head of state who managed to end nine wars in one year. Europe needs above all a strong and independent Ukraine that serves as a secure shield against an aggressive and unpredictable Russia. Looking at these interests, it becomes clear that those of Ukraine and Europe coincide. And that those of Trump and Putin are also quite similar.”
Trump unlikely to nip this in the bud
Forum24 comments:
“The point is that, according to a recording released by Bloomberg, Witkoff openly advised the Russians on how to approach Trump in order to convince him of their position. According to Trump, this is a normal part of negotiations. Of course, but only if Witkoff is negotiating on behalf of Russia, not the US. ... It's a bit like your lawyer advising the other side on how to deal with you in order to get what they want. You'd probably fire such a lawyer quickly. But Trump stands by Witkoff. The president does not like to admit mistakes. So it's unlikely that he will want to get rid of Witkoff.”
Catastrophic signal for Taiwan
The Süddeutsche Zeitung notes:
“The US is no 'impartial arbiter' in the Ukraine conflict, as Trump always claims. On the contrary, it sides with Russia. ... That Witkoff is granting the Russians the right to annex large parts of Ukraine without any restrictions whatsoever is more than just diplomatic naivety. It is geopolitically disastrous: what will the Chinese leadership now think with regard to Taiwan? This is utterly unprincipled: international law is being brushed aside without a second thought. ... Trump and Witkoff have squandered America's last ounce of credibility.”
Two lessons to learn here
The US remains an indispensable ally despite the revelations, columnist Pierre Haski stresses on France Inter:
“The first lesson to be learned from this incident is that there is collusion between the Trump administration and the Kremlin. ... It is based on the conviction that one must communicate with Putin and not with the country under attack, Ukraine, which is too weak and 'doesn't hold the cards', as Trump said to Zelensky in the Oval Office. The second lesson is that the United States can no longer be respected as the leader of a Western camp that no longer exists in its previous form. It does remain the world's leading power, nonetheless, and therefore no one, starting with the Europeans who are in a position of weakness, can do without it.”