Even the National Review is sickened by what Trump’s buddy Steve Witkoff, until now a real estate guy, is doing in Russia:
Beyond his remit as Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, a role in which he attempted to guide Israel toward a conclusion of conflict with Iran’s proxies on terms negotiated by the Biden administration, Witkoff is also taking point on negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program and Russia amid its expansionist adventure in Ukraine. Witkoff is in Saint Petersburg today, where he met directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin. There, Trump’s all-purpose negotiator seems to have been comprehensively outmaneuvered by his Russian counterpart.
According to the “two U.S. officials and five people familiar with the situation” with whom Reuters reporters spoke, “The fastest way to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine, said Witkoff, was to support a strategy that would give Russia ownership of four eastern Ukrainian regions it attempted to annex illegally in 2022.”
Imagine that! If the United States and its allies sanctioned the appeasement of the Kremlin by forcing Ukraine to give up the territories Moscow tried to seize by force, it could enjoy a temporary reprieve — at least, until Putin presses his territorial ambitions in Europe once again. That’s quite the insight. Why didn’t anyone else think of that?
Russia could be enticed to enter a temporary cease-fire that allows it to regroup, rearm, and reorient its exhausted forces in exchange for reintegration into the global economy and the spoils of territorial conquest it didn’t even manage to secure through force. That probably wouldn’t take much arm-twisting. The Ukrainian people, not just Volodymyr Zelensky’s government, would have a tougher time of it.
As he points out, giving away even portions that Russia doesn’t control would be particularly unpleasant for the Ukrainians who live there due to all the raping, torturing and kidnapping that’s already happening in those territories with more to come. Not that Trump cares. Nor does he care about Europe, obviously.
Indeed, it seems that arriving at that sort of ignominious peace, even if it is so clearly unjust and pretextual that it only sets the stage for another war on terms favorable to America’s enemies in Moscow, is the only objective Witkoff has in mind.
I think we always knew this was Trump’s big “plan.” He’s just been thwarted so far by the parties’ unwillingness to accept it. One could expect nothing less from Zelensky, of course but Putin’s continued intransigence seems to have taken Trump by surprise. Apparently, it didn’t occur to him that Putin isn’t as invested in his desire to get the Nobel Peace Prize as he is.
If Witkoff keeps going maybe he can give away Eastern Europe while he’s at it without Russia having to fire shot. He seems to be that good at his job.