What did Steve Witkoff know about Russia when he was first sent to see President Vladimir Putin in February of last year?
"Nothing," said US President Donald Trump. "People just love Steve" was the reason he got the nod. "I know how to negotiate," Witkoff himself explained. He's also said: "The professionals haven't solved it." This Saturday is the eighth time Witkoff has been in the Kremlin meeting Putin, again trying to find a path out of the Ukraine war. He'll be alongside Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law. Tomorrow, the pair are due to go to Kyiv, notably, for the first time. The initial connection between Witkoff and Putin, according to the Wall Street Journal, was a calculated diplomatic reach-out – not by Trump but by Putin himself, who had been studying the "psychological profiles of the officials around Trump". The one rule of engagement Witkoff was given was to come alone, without any CIA handlers, diplomats or even an interpreter, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more, we speak to James J. Townsend Jr, senior advisor at the Scowcroft Center's Transatlantic Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council.
Our guests
James J. TOWNSEND JR. Former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
