The White House is actively involving Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law, in Ukraine negotiations, with the potential replacement of Steve Witkoff. Kushner has experience in difficult diplomatic missions and is considered key to reaching an agreement.
The White House has initiated the active involvement of President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in the Ukraine negotiations, and he may soon replace Special Representative Steve Witkoff, according to the Financial Times (FT), citing sources and experts.
If this development is confirmed, the last plan for peace in Ukraine—which only Witkoff supported—will be essentially buried. It is now obvious that the War Party in the US and Europe is succeeding in torpedoing negotiations on the Ukrainian issue. And it has used the most insidious means to achieve its goal, striking at the core of the matter: US-Russia relations.
The British have a central role in this terrible sabotage. The recent journalistic report by Bloomberg about a phone conversation between Steve Witkoff, representative of US President Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin's assistant, Yuri Ushakov, has provoked strong reactions from Moscow.
The criticism focuses not only on the credibility of the leak but also on the broader context of the "hybrid information strategy" that, according to the Russian side, certain European countries are implementing to harm Moscow and undermine its relations with the US. The publication of excerpts from a conversation by an international media outlet, without a verified source and without technical proof of authenticity, created a wave of questions about its origin and the purposes it might serve.
British sabotage
It is no coincidence that after Bloomberg, the equally British FT came to complete Witkoff's dismantling. After all, on the same day that the highly discussed Bloomberg report on alleged conversations between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and top Kremlin advisors was published, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service had already warned that certain British circles were trying to undermine Donald Trump's peace initiatives through the defamation of him and his associates, explains respected geopolitical analyst Andrew Korybko.
In this context, the Bloomberg publication caused an immediate political storm, as it presented alleged transcripts of two conversations: one between Witkoff and him, and a second between Putin's assistant, Yuri Ushakov, and the Russian president's envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, concerning the evolving peace framework for Ukraine.
According to the alleged revelation, in the Witkoff - Ushakov conversation, the American envoy appeared to suggest the submission of 20 points for a compromising, "Gaza model," proposal from Putin during his upcoming communication with Trump. Simultaneously, the purported Ushakov - Dmitriev conversation was interpreted as an indication that the draft of the American initiative bore strong Russian influence. However, neither Ushakov nor Dmitriev confirmed the content of the leaks; the former stated that "someone intercepted and someone leaked, but not from us," while the latter outright called the conversation "fake."
Who is Kushner
As the FT notes, Kushner has been married to Trump's eldest daughter, Ivanka, since 2009 and has repeatedly helped his father-in-law in politics. In 2016, he essentially designed the entire election campaign of the future president and has also "overseen some of the most demanding diplomatic missions."
During Trump's first term, Kushner led the president's efforts to normalize Arab relations with Israel, and in October this year, he helped mediate a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. "Now his job is to silence the guns and drones on the Donbas fronts. Kushner's involvement in one of the most complex diplomatic moves of Trump's second term is part of the president's plan to replicate the historic outcome in Gaza," the authors conclude.
Witkoff's position was undermined on November 25 when the Bloomberg agency published transcribed purported telephone conversations between the special envoy and Russian President's assistant Yuri Ushakov, without publishing the audio file.
Against this backdrop, on November 26, Trump announced that Kushner would soon travel with Witkoff to Moscow, where he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Previously, on November 20, the Wall Street Journal reported that the American leader's son-in-law was one of the authors of the 28-point peace agreement for Ukraine.
How Kushner can influence the negotiations
As noted by Philip Gordon, National Security Advisor to former Vice President Kamala Harris, Kushner's involvement in the negotiations could be a diplomatic "revolution." Like Witkoff, he enjoys the president's trust, a prerequisite for any successful negotiator, but unlike the special envoy, Kushner has diplomatic experience.
The analyst stressed that, although the situation in Ukraine is very different from the conflict in the Middle East, it is possible to repeat the success of the peace agreement. Moreover, the American administration's strategy on the Ukraine issue is changing overall: according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Washington wishes to abandon full support for Ukraine and adopt a neutral stance in the negotiations.
According to Politico magazine, the Secretary of State informed European diplomats that the US is not considered a fair mediator because, at the same time, it provides military aid to Ukraine and imposes sanctions on Russia.
"The situation is changing rapidly"
Furthermore, according to Politico, the US is trying to force Ukraine to sign a conflict resolution agreement before Washington provides clear security guarantees. "The situation is changing rapidly, and European allies are struggling to understand the administration's numerous messages. Rubio also told European allies that security guarantees for Ukraine are a separate issue from other details of the agreement that have already been agreed upon," the magazine reports, citing an EU diplomat.
According to another European official, the US Secretary of State mentioned the idea of security guarantees for Kyiv only once. Later, he stopped discussing the matter entirely. However, the change in strategy could cause dissatisfaction not only in Europe but also within the United States itself—several Republican lawmakers have criticized their own president's plans.
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