Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner deserve praise for attempting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. Still, President Donald Trump would be wise to replace them with CIA Director John Ratcliffe in that effort. Ratcliffe’s position gives him far greater insight into the nature and calculations of both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. That insight will be crucial if peace talks are to progress.
While the White House and CIA have denied it, the Financial Times reported that Trump is considering giving Ratcliffe a key role in any future Ukraine talks. This would comport with Ratcliffe’s recent visit to Moscow to discuss the war and Russian threats to NATO.
The big value-add that Ratcliffe could bring is that of insight. Namely, the insight he accrues from his daily intelligence briefings. These briefings include most of the information afforded to Trump. Indeed, Ratcliffe often personally provides Trump with his intelligence briefing. This level of access to classified information is at an altogether different level from that which is provided to Witkoff and Kushner.
Moreover, it’s clear that the Trump administration’s negotiating strategy isn’t working.
As was predictable, Witkoff and Kushner’s visit to Moscow last weekend saw them used by Putin for propaganda purposes. The Russian leader feigned sincerity about seeking a credible peace accord and then blitzed video of his deferential American interlocutors all over state television. Subsequent statements by a senior Kremlin official made clear that Putin remains unwilling to make serious concessions for peace. Something needs to give.
Perhaps only Putin’s continued failure to make substantive progress in his war effort is the only thing that can give. But Ratcliffe would at least offer a fresh approach. And it is far more likely that an intelligence officer will have more success with this issue than real estate businessmen such as Kushner and Witkoff. Just as Ratcliffe far better understands Zelensky’s efforts to consolidate his authority against rising political challengers, so also does he recognize Putin’s viciousness and his penchant for manipulation.
RUSSIAN GRU SHOWS TRUE NATURE WITH INDISCRIMINATE TERRORISM
Ratcliffe would go into future talks with far greater insight as to the current internal political, military, or economic concerns that Putin and Zelensky are secretly obsessing over. This would provide powerful ammunition via which to extract leverage and forge points of compromise.
If nothing else, Ratcliffe would be in a much better position to brief Trump on the possibilities for peace and the obstacles to it.