The individual leading United States efforts to secure an end to the conflict in Ukraine is not a veteran diplomat but billionaire real estate magnate Steve Witkoff.
A close friend and golfing partner of President Donald Trump, Witkoff entered international diplomacy without traditional experience, relying instead on what both men view as strong instinct in negotiation and personal rapport.
To Trump, the 68-year-old offers unmatched loyalty. However, Witkoff has faced extensive criticism from those who argue that he lacks sufficient expertise and has shown undue admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he met in Moscow on Tuesday.
Following a meeting with Putin in March, Witkoff said, “I liked him. I thought he was straight up with me,” describing the conflict in Ukraine as “complicated” and declining to characterise Putin as a “bad guy”.
Bloomberg News later reported a phone conversation suggesting that Witkoff had advised a Putin aide on how best to frame a peace proposal for Trump.
According to the conversation transcript, Witkoff said he believed Russia – which initiated the war with a full-scale invasion in February 2022 – “has always wanted a peace deal” and added that he held “the deepest respect for President Putin”.
Witkoff travelled to Moscow with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, after holding talks with Ukrainian representatives in Florida.
A draft of the proposed plan would require Ukraine to relinquish territory that Russia has not captured, in return for limited security assurances falling short of Ukraine’s goal of NATO membership.
Trump has long criticised the scale of US support for Kyiv and suggested previously that geopolitical momentum favoured Russia.
An unconventional diplomatic style
This latest visit to Russia followed Witkoff’s appointment after Trump’s election victory as special envoy for the Middle East, a role he rapidly extended beyond attempts to negotiate two ceasefires in Gaza.
He broke diplomatic convention early on by coordinating with the outgoing Biden administration during the first ceasefire discussions.
Witkoff also travelled from Qatar to Israel to personally urge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to approve a deal, holding an uncommon meeting on Saturday — during the Jewish Sabbath — when official business is usually suspended. Witkoff himself is Jewish.
In a further departure from protocol, he met directly with members of Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by the United States, in order to push for progress in negotiations.
After Israel targeted Hamas leaders in Qatar in September, Witkoff offered personal condolences in Cairo to senior Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Haya, whose son had been killed in the strike.
He later recounted telling Haya that he, too, had lost a son — Andrew, who died aged 22 of an opioid overdose in 2011.
Witkoff, who grew up in the Bronx, made his fortune through a career in property development, beginning as a lawyer before founding his own real estate group. Forbes values his wealth at $2 billion.
Glive24/SS