Steve Witkoff: Trump confidant in the midst of important Ukraine Israel negotiations

Witkoff as a mid -foreign policy crises

This longstanding friendship with Trump has now catapulted Witkoff into the middle of two great foreign policy crises, which shape Trump's second term. Shortly after Trump's re-election in November, Witkoff was appointed Trump's special invaded for the Middle East and worked with officials from the bid administration to finalize a ceasefire contract between Israel and Hamas. His area of responsibility has now expanded to the Russia Ukraine conflict. On Tuesday, Witkoff accompanied Foreign Minister Marco Rubio and Trump's security advisor Mike Waltz to a meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lawrow in Saudi Arabia to get US Russian relationships going.

an inexperienced diplomat with excellent skills

Although Witkoff has never worked as a diplomat or worked in the government, Trump sees him in the ultimate negotiation experts. "Outside the family, nobody is as trustworthy for DJT as Steve," an official from the White House told CNN. While Witkoff said that he was in a good mood, but directly - "a more polite version of Trump" - he estimates the art of negotiating and can skillfully deal with influence in certain tense negotiations.

Missing presence and recurring challenges

Although Witkoff was in the room on Tuesday, Trump's Russia-Ukraine-Sonderstanders Keith Kellogg, who is considered more of war by many and favors military support for Ukraine. Some sources report that the Russians would rather negotiate with Witkoff than with Kellogg, which was rejected by a source in the White House. Instead, Trump commissioned Kellogg to have talks with Ukraine and European allies.

The challenge of finding a conclusion in the three -year conflict between Russia and Ukraine is considered challenging. Aaron David Miller, an experienced negotiator for the Middle East, noted that Witkoff had to face these challenges that go beyond his previous experience.

an unexpected start of the diplomatic career

Witkoff's way into the role of a negotiator for some of the largest diplomatic crises in the world started with a ham and cheese sandwich at 3 a.m. In a court proceedings, Witkoff said that he first scored Trump in a New York delicacy in 1986 when he was still a lawyer. Over the years they developed a close friendship that extends through Trump's political advancement to the present day.

Witkoff and its important role

in Trump's first term in office, Witkoff had no official post, but was appointed a special envoy for the Middle East after Trump's return to the White House. As a Jewish real estate magnate with international connections to Israel, he was well networked and contributed to the agreement on an armistice in Gaza, which remained a challenge for the bidding administration for a long time.

The negotiations led Witkoff to Doha, where his partnership with Brett McGurk, the negotiator of the bid administration, proved to be extremely productive. Despite initial distrust of Biden's consultants, it turned out that Witkoff was as capable and committed as an experienced diplomat.

Witkoff and the negotiations with Russia

Witkoff's next big task led him to the tense negotiations between the United States and Russia, where he made a decisive contribution to the release of the American teacher Marc Fogel. He met Putin directly to make the exchange easier and gratefully said after his return that Trump gave him the opportunity to act as a connecting person. "He asks with President Trump, and we say yes," said Witkoff.

The upcoming discussions and the challenges associated with it are just around the corner, while Witkoff and Trump's team are preparing for negotiations with Russia. Trump's recent statements about Ukraine and his public attacks on President Zelensky underline the complex context within which these negotiations have to take place.