The September visits of White House negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Russia and Ukraine with the aim of peacefully resolving the conflict are unlikely to bring results, experts interviewed by RTVI suggested. Geopolitics specialist John Varoli believes that Moscow “wants to end with a victory,” and Drexel University political scientist Sergei Kostyaev notes that Washington no longer has the leverage over Kyiv that it had in the past.
The special flight with Witkoff and Kushner landed in Moscow on September 5 in the afternoon local time. The American delegation was met by the special representative of the Russian President, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev, who called them “peacemakers” on his social networks.
The Kremlin confirmed that President Vladimir Putin will receive the negotiators later on Saturday. It is planned that after this the US delegation will go to Kyiv for negotiations with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky.
John Varoli suggested that there are now no prerequisites for resolving the conflict through US mediation – the information field in the country does not change, and Trump himself makes the same statements.
“They don't understand what's happening. The visit of Witkoff and Kushner will be completely inconclusive,” said the former Bloomberg journalist and geopolitics expert.
In his opinion, Russia has an advantage in the conflict and strives to end it with victory “by the spring or the end of the year.” According to Varoli, the American intelligence community, authorities and the media are mistakenly insisting on Ukraine's advantage.
“It’s time for the West to wake up – they are working with bad intelligence. The situation is very similar to Vietnam since the early 1970s,” Varoli added, referring to the Vietnam War, which ended in the defeat of South Vietnam, a US ally.
Political scientist Sergei Kostyaev also said that he does not see any desire on the part of the Kremlin to end the conflict at the present time.
“On the contrary, we are seeing an escalation. Therefore, I do not think that another visit by Kushner and Witkoff will bring any results. An absolutely meaningless story,” the expert emphasized.
He added that Trump’s plans now “have no significance” for the settlement, since the United States has lost its military-economic leverage over Kyiv. The previous administration of President Joe Biden had it through direct arms supplies, Kostyaev believes.
“Now there are no such supplies; American weapons are being purchased by Ukraine’s European allies, who then transfer them. That is, the US administration has no leverage over Ukraine,” believes a professor at Drexel University in the US state of Pennsylvania.
