Moscow grows tired of Kushner–Witkoff talks, report says
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner (Photo: Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS)
Moscow has grown weary of sporadic visits by special
envoys from President Donald Trump and wants to change the format of
negotiations with Washington into something less irregular, The New York Times reported
on June 1, citing sources.
“For their part, the Russians have quietly made clear that they are tired of periodic visits from the president’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Mr. Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, according to people familiar with the negotiations,” the NYT wrote.
They also said Russia is interested in seeing a U.S. ambassador appointed to Moscow; the post has been vacant for about a year, the report said.
Some experts involved in informal efforts to encourage talks told the paper that Washington erred by relying too heavily on episodic contacts — phone calls and envoy trips — without sustained diplomatic engagement.
Career U.S. diplomat Thomas Graham, who served in Moscow before the collapse of the Soviet Union and negotiated with the Kremlin during the George W. Bush administration, told the Times he believes the war “is ripe for conclusion.”
“The mood has changed in Moscow,” the NYT quoted Graham.
“The battlefield is different: The Ukrainians have frozen
the front line. The economic problems in Russia are building, and some
political discontent is bubbling up. Conversations inside the Kremlin are on
‘How do we present this as a victory?”
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