Trump’s team faces turmoil. Vitaly Portnikov’s column

Witkoff stated that the main issue in resolving the situation between Russia and Ukraine concerns five regions: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Crimea.

However, the problem is much deeper, as it relates to security guarantees, NATO’s Article 5, security protocols, and all the issues that have accumulated between the two countries.

Thus, Trump’s representative on Fox News repeated what we hear from the Russian leader and other officials, who also deny the possibility of a ceasefire agreement without comprehensive peace. They insist that Ukrainian troops leave parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions currently under legitimate Ukrainian control and continuously express Russia’s security concerns, as if Ukraine is threatening Russia or started the war with its neighboring country.

"The fact that Witkoff adheres to pro-Russian narratives in his approach to ending the Russian-Ukrainian war may not sit well with other members of President Trump’s circle."

The Wall Street Journal highlights that Trump’s staff - Secretary of State Marco Rubio and another special representative, Keith Kellogg - disagree with Witkoff’s approach and are trying to convince Trump that Putin has no intention of negotiating a real peace but is only exploiting American desires.

However, both Rubio and Kellogg agree with Trump’s stance on the need for a quicker end to the war, insisting on a tougher stance toward the Russian Federation and increasing pressure on Putin.

Witkoff, on the other hand, speaks about the economic aspect of U.S.-Russia cooperation and argues that ending the war will come down to financial and economic agreements between Moscow and Washington.

It is evident that, in order to sell this economic illusion to Trump, Putin appointed Kirill Dmitriev as his special representative for international economic relations with other countries. Dmitriev works with Witkoff and offers him various projects that are unlikely to ever materialize - both before Witkoff’s meetings with Putin and during other rounds of U.S.-Russian negotiations. Thus, what matters is whose position Trump ultimately adopts.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. president is currently leaning toward Witkoff’s position.

"That’s understandable, since Trump has never spoken the language of values - only the language of money. Moreover, a person with such an inflated ego simply cannot believe that others are openly mocking him and trying to use him for their own purposes, and that Putin likely has a well-honed toolkit for dealing with clients like Donald Trump or Steve Witkoff."

However, Trump’s behavior during his meeting at the White House with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele once again showed that the U.S. president is seeking ways to make a deal with his Russian counterpart. He continues to blame the start of the war on his predecessor, Joseph Biden - who did so much to support Ukraine - and on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Although Trump placed Putin first on the list of those responsible for the Russian-Ukrainian war, the very fact that he also blames Biden and Zelenskyy allows Trump - at least from his own perspective - a wide path for further maneuvering toward deals with the Russian leader. It also enables Witkoff to continue his trips to Russia aimed at securing deals beneficial to Trump and his circle.

However, Putin’s actions on the Russian-Ukrainian front - particularly his strikes on peaceful Ukrainian cities and the killing of civilians - are only worsening the situation within Trump’s inner circle.

After the strike on Sumy, both U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special representative Keith Kellogg, and another special envoy, Richard Grenell - who also holds considerable influence in Trump’s circle - were forced to comment on this criminal act by Russian forces. Trump himself had to respond to a question about Sumy aboard his private plane, though it was clear the U.S. president was very reluctant to comment on this crime committed by his Russian friend.

Naturally, in this situation, those still concerned about their reputations after Donald Trump is no longer President of the United States - and those who couldn’t care less about reputations when it comes to profitable deals with the Russian leader and other authoritarian rulers - find it extremely difficult to reach a common goal or shared vision for how the Russian-Ukrainian war should end.

All the more so, since that’s exactly what Putin wants. The Kremlin leader has no intention of making any deals with either the naive Steve Witkoff or the pompous Donald Trump - both of whom fail to grasp the reality of the world they’re in. The goal of the Russian leader is to stain Trump’s reputation with blood, to make the American president complicit in his crimes.

And Steve Witkoff, with his clear lack of understanding of what’s happening both in the Russian-Ukrainian war and in the Middle East, is simply a convenient tool for Putin and Kirill Dmitriev to achieve these goals. The American president’s reaction to the Russian military’s crime in Sumy only proves that, from Putin’s point of view, he’s on the right path in using Trump and Witkoff.

Source

About the author. Vitaly Portnikov, journalist, laureate of the Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine.

The editorial team does not always share the opinions expressed by blog or column authors.