The Kremlin collected dossiers on Trump's entourage, seeking a negotiator convenient for itself on Ukraine — the choice fell on Steven Witkoff, writes WSJ.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow, August 6, 2025. Photo: Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
The Kremlin collected dossiers on Trump's entourage, seeking a negotiator convenient for itself, and as a result, the choice fell on billionaire Steven Witkoff, writes The Wall Street Journal. According to the publication, Russian intelligence studied the psychological profiles of American officials immediately after Trump's election victory.
Moscow was strongly against General Keith Kellogg, whom Trump initially appointed as a special representative for Ukraine and Russia. Russian intelligence identified him as a potentially hostile figure because his daughter ran a charity in Ukraine.
As a result, the Kremlin bet on Witkoff — a man from the business world who doesn't always adhere to diplomatic protocols and is ready for closed-door meetings without intelligence agency oversight.
Putin secured a one-on-one meeting with Witkoff even before his official involvement in negotiations on Ukraine. This occurred on February 11, 2025. The Kremlin insisted that the American not be accompanied by CIA officers or diplomats.
The result of this conversation was the release of American Mark Fogel, which served as a peculiar "gesture of goodwill" and a signal to Trump: Putin specifically prefers Witkoff.
After this, Trump involved his billionaire friend in the Ukrainian case, and Kellogg lost his central role.
Over the past year, Witkoff has visited Putin six times. No American official in the past 75 years has had such frequent personal access to the Russian leader — a similar level of contact existed only during the alliance with Stalin.
Notably, during this time, Witkoff never visited Ukraine.
According to the WSJ, this is a success for Putin's maneuvers, who managed to sideline professional diplomats and secure the support of American billionaires, which aligns with Trump's own skeptical attitude towards traditional institutions.
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Наверно никогда больше.
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