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Former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul has questioned the effectiveness of the “secret diplomacy” conducted by presidential special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
The Operative Information Center-OMM reports that McFaul made the remarks in a post on the social media platform X.
He welcomed Witkoff and Kushner’s talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. At the same time, the former ambassador criticized the special envoys’ public statements.
“I applaud Witkoff and Kushner talking to Putin and Zelenskyy. I regret their concerning public statements. They should stop holding press conferences,” McFaul said.
According to him, there is no information in open sources indicating that the US envoys have achieved any results.
“I hope the situation looks more optimistic behind closed doors,” the former ambassador added.
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner previously visited Moscow and Kyiv to discuss prospects for resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
Following the meetings, Witkoff said a trilateral summit involving Russia, the United States and Ukraine could be held.
Special envoys are often used in sensitive diplomatic processes because they can maintain direct communication with the parties while formal negotiations continue through established channels. However, the substance of such discussions may remain undisclosed until the participants announce specific agreements.
