White House Denies Ratcliffe's Expanded Role in Ukraine Talks
According to the Financial Times, the White House is considering reducing the participation of US special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in negotiations with Moscow and Kyiv, and instead giving a more active role in shuttle diplomacy to the CIA director.
Consensus
- The White House denied reports about increasing John Ratcliffe's role in Ukraine-related negotiations.
- The White House stated that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner continue to work diligently on peace efforts.
- The White House affirmed full confidence in Witkoff and Kushner to lead U.S. negotiations on Ukraine.
- The claims originated from a Financial Times article based on anonymous sources.
- No official discussions about changing the negotiation team have taken place, according to the White House.
Points of divergence
- The White House decided to replace Witkoff and Kushner with CIA Director Ratcliffe in negotiations with Putin. — tg_moscowtimes_ru
- Steve Witkoff's visit to Russia was likely his last, as it ended without results. — tg_moscowtimes_ru
- Witkoff is seen in Moscow as partially responsible for the lack of progress at the Alaska summit in August 2025. — tg_moscowtimes_ru
- Ukrainian officials believe Witkoff did not exert enough pressure on Putin to soften his position. — tg_moscowtimes_ru
- President Donald Trump has not yet made a final decision on Ratcliffe's role. — interfax
- Dmitry Peskov stated that Putin and Trump did not discuss changes in the U.S. negotiation team during their recent phone call. — interfax
- Putin's meeting with Ratcliffe is not planned. — interfax
Coverage (4 sources)
- In the CIA denied information about a new role of Ratcliffe in negotiations of RF and Ukraine — Коммерсантъ
- White House refutes information about more significant role of CIA chief in Ukrainian settlement — Интерфакс
- White House refutes appointment of CIA director Ratcliffe as chief negotiator for Ukraine. — РИА Новости (Telegram)
- White House decided to replace Whitlock and Kushner with CIA director in talks with Putin — The Moscow Times
Key entities
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