Day: December 8, 2025

#diplomacy in #Russia – #Ukraine #war

The Jared Kushner’s style and methods of diplomacy in Russia – Ukraine war

Jared Kushner’s style of diplomacy in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war is characterized by an unconventional, small-team, and informal approach that emphasizes direct negotiation, speed, and a focus on “closing a deal”. [1, 2, 3]
Style of Diplomacy

Informal and Unconventional: Kushner does not hold an official government position in the current Trump administration but acts as a key, trusted, and informal envoy alongside Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. This structure is designed to be “nimble” and avoid the bureaucracy and potential leaks of traditional diplomatic channels.
Direct and Personalized: His methods involve direct, high-level meetings with key leaders, including a recent five-hour meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This top-down approach relies heavily on personal trust and relationships rather than established diplomatic institutions.
Focus on “The Deal”: Kushner, a businessman and real estate magnate, approaches diplomacy with a deal-making mindset, aiming to find quick resolutions that may demand painful concessions from the parties involved. He is often viewed as “the closer” in negotiations.
Secrecy and Limited Involvement of Experts: The process has been largely conducted away from traditional foreign policy experts and senior officials in the State Department, which has stirred criticism from European allies and some U.S. lawmakers. [1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]

Methods and Proposals
Kushner has been involved in drafting and promoting a specific peace plan (initially a 28-point proposal) that has been a central point of negotiation.

A 28-Point Plan: The initial plan, reportedly drafted with input from a Russian official, included stipulations such as Ukraine formally renouncing its aspiration to join NATO and potentially ceding territory in the Donbas region not yet occupied by Russian forces. These specific points have been major non-starters for Ukraine and its European allies.
Iterative Negotiations: After initial pushback, the plan has been subject to changes and discussions in multiple high-level meetings in Geneva, Miami, and Moscow with U.S., Ukrainian, and Russian officials.
Leveraging Business Ties (Allegedly): Critics have raised concerns that the diplomatic efforts are intertwined with potential business interests, noting that the plan includes provisions that align with the business priorities of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, which has invested in Kushner’s fund and Ukrainian agriculture.
Pressure on Ukraine: The U.S. administration has reportedly put strong pressure on Ukraine to agree to a deal, at one point setting a deadline for a decision. [5, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18]

In essence, Kushner’s methods prioritize speed and a direct, business-oriented negotiation style, often bypassing traditional diplomatic channels to achieve an expedient end to the conflict. This approach has yielded some perceived progress in recent talks, but significant obstacles, such as the issue of territorial concessions, remain unresolved. [1, 4, 14, 19]

AI responses may include mistakes.

[1] politico.com/news/2025/12/07…
[2] devdiscourse.com/article/pol…
[3] cnn.com/2025/12/01/politics/…
[4] usnews.com/news/world/articl…
[5] project-syndicate.org/commen…
[6] cnn.com/2025/12/01/politics/…
[7] nytimes.com/2025/12/02/world…
[8] cnn.com/2025/12/01/politics/…
[9] nytimes.com/2025/12/02/world…
[10] nbcnews.com/world/europe/inf…
[11] yahoo.com/news/articles/ukra…
[12] politico.com/news/2025/12/07…
[13] cnn.com/2025/12/06/europe/uk…
[14] cnn.com/2025/12/01/europe/us…
[15] politico.eu/article/jared-ku…
[16] newsnationnow.com/world/zele…
[17] nytimes.com/2025/12/02/world…
[18] popular.info/p/kushners-mosc…
[19] yahoo.com/news/articles/ukra…

–
Google Search google.com/search?q=The+Jare…

— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Dec 8, 2025