Malek Dudakov, a political analyst specializing in the US, commented to Alpha News on the visit of Steve Witkoff, special envoy of the US president, and the prospects for negotiations on settling the conflict in Ukraine.
According to the expert, the visit is taking place without Jared Kushner, and the positions of the US and European countries on the terms of a possible peace agreement differ significantly.
“In fact, this is indeed a landmark visit by Steve Witkoff, now without Jared Kushner, because, as we know, Kushner has health problems, the flu, so Steve Witkoff is now acting on his own in this solo format. First he spoke with representatives of the Ukrainian lobby and representatives of the European war party, and after that he headed to our country, but it is obvious that he will surely try to bring some common, unified plan of what the collective West can offer us. The other thing is that his position is complicated, first of all, by the fact that this plan does not actually exist. That is, there is the Americans’ plan, which leaked to the press not long ago: a freeze of the conflict, security guarantees for Ukraine at the level of Article 5 of the NATO charter, easing of sanctions against Russia, and so on. Then there is the more hawkish European plan: we freeze the conflict, but admit Ukraine to NATO. They do not fully fit together. And, of course, they raise a great many questions on our side, because they do not fully satisfy our demands, since we need, first, the demilitarization of Ukraine following the conflict, so that it no longer threatens Russia. Second, the liberation of all territories within our constitutional borders. This is a basic minimum that could be discussed. So, of course, questions arise about the prospects of these very negotiations,” Dudakov said.
In his view, the prospects for negotiations are also complicated by the domestic political situation in the US: Donald Trump’s administration is seeking a foreign policy breakthrough before the congressional elections, but a possible Democratic victory could limit the sitting president’s ability to advance the agreements reached.
“Plus, let’s not forget that there are questions about the position of Donald Trump and his administration inside America. Because he has literally two weeks left before the congressional elections, and in these elections the Democrats will most likely win and the Republicans lose. In this regard, of course, Trump’s position will be shaken. And, of course, there is also the question of to what extent he will be ready, whether he will have the ability to push through certain decisions in the US, even if we leave Europe aside, because he may conclude some agreement with us, but obviously Congress, if it is controlled by the Democrats, is unlikely to ratify it. So even if we manage to agree on something with the Trump administration, questions arise as to whether Trump will be able to make both the Europeans and the Ukrainians accept all this,” Dudakov concluded.
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