DÉJÀ VU DIPLOMACY

So, Yuri, you characterize the Kushner-Witkopf shuttle diplomacy, I'm quoting here, a choreographed public relations exercise rather than a serious path to peace.

Elaborate on this for our listeners, if you will, because I had a Groundhog Day feeling about this.

The only difference was they actually went to Kiev this time, which we'll get to in a moment.

But this kind of felt like Groundhog Day.

It was here we go again.

What do you mean by a choreographed PR exercise?

I mean, I think I'm going to downgrade that statement.

And it's actually was a sightseeing trip by two American tourists coming to Kiev.

So, I mean, it was not really serious trip.

And, you know, the fact that they spent, you know, three hours behind closed doors in Moscow, talking probably some business deals and then going to Ukraine and, you know, Jared Kushner just pulled the, veil on what was happening in Moscow by saying that they want to have a win-win situation, which means that they want to make sure that they're good on both sides, which is not possible.

But the whole point, if you look in the history of any high-profile visit to Ukraine, whether it was by former Secretary of State, even diplomats from Germany, they always, even if they wouldn't bring any any serious diplomatic solutions, they would at least bring some defense packages.

And I think there was nothing there, right? Ukraine has been asking for Patriot missiles for so long to close the sky, right? And all we got is three, four hours of no missiles flying over Kyiv.

And they just packed the bags, jumped on the train and left without anything.

It was not a well spent taxpayers money, uh, overall, because there was nothing out that, um, trip and, uh, there was not really serious.

And I think it's more, it was more so for, for, you know, for them to keep their job in the white house, pretending that they doing something and no moment, man made.

I would feel better if that was all it was, but I got my concerns that it's something maybe worse than this.

I mean, we've seen this movie over and over and over and over again.

Basically, it's usually Witkoff or Witkoff and Kushner talk to the Russians, talk to Putin or Ushakov or somebody else in the Kremlin elite.

And they basically are trying to see what kind of concessions do you want from Ukraine? to get a peace deal.

And of course, they come back to the Ukrainians with these concessions that are non-starters for the Ukrainians.

And just rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat.

This goes over and over and over again.

David, you're an experienced U.S. diplomat, to say the least.

You've been involved in negotiations like this.

Witkow has made eight trips to Moscow.