Kushner and Witkoff's Incompetence Makes Them Unfit to Broker Russia-Ukraine Peace
Source: Fred Kaplan. "Trump Russia Ukraine: Jared Kushner's incompetence was on full display this weekend.." September 8, 2026. slate.com
The Gist
The author argues that Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and businessman Steve Witkoff are bumbling amateurs who have no business trying to negotiate peace between Russia and Ukraine. Their recent trip to meet Putin and Zelensky was full of embarrassing missteps—flattering Putin, showing ignorance of the conflict's history, and coming home empty-handed—proving they're in over their heads.
Conclusion
Trump's continued reliance on Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war is a mistake, as they are incompetent and unqualified for the task.
Premises
- Neither Kushner nor Witkoff has any diplomatic experience, expertise in Russia/Ukraine, or knowledge of military strategy, and they don't travel with specialist advisors.
- Their weekend meetings with Putin and Zelensky produced no concrete progress toward peace despite being touted as carrying new proposals, ending only in vague, boilerplate language.
- Witkoff displayed naive deference to Putin, praising him personally and claiming Russia had treated the U.S. team 'respectfully,' even as Putin resumed bombing Kyiv immediately after their departure.
- Kushner demonstrated ignorance of the conflict's stakes and history, seeking a 'win-win' that would fulfill Russia's stated aspiration to eliminate Ukraine's independence, and misapplying historical analogies (like postwar U.S.-Germany relations) that don't fit the current situation.
- The duo hold no official government positions, are unconfirmed by the Senate, and are accountable to no one but Trump, reducing transparency and oversight.
- Their approach has arguably intensified rather than de-escalated the war in Ukraine.
Assumptions
- Diplomatic effectiveness requires specialized knowledge, experience, and expert advisors rather than personal rapport-building.
- A negotiator's job is to manage competing interests through leverage, not merely to facilitate friendly relationships between parties.
- Trump, as a self-described businessman, would recognize and correct for aide incompetence if the failures were clear.
- There exists a viable alternative (professional diplomats/experts) that would perform better than Kushner and Witkoff.
- Genuine peace requires addressing Russia's stated aim to eliminate Ukrainian sovereignty, not accommodating it.