According to information from the Financial Times, Jared Kushner - son-in-law of US President Donald Trump - is among the favorites to take over the post of US special envoy for Ukraine, replacing Sivan Witkoff. Kushner, who has been Ivanka Trump's husband since 2009, has been carrying out some of the most complex and sensitive diplomatic missions assigned to his father-in-law for years, BTA reports.
During Trump's first presidential term, it was Kushner who led efforts to normalize relations between Israel and a number of Arab countries. Most recently, he was also involved in the mediation talks between Israel and "Hamas" in Gaza. There, the 20-point plan bearing the US president’s name led to a fragile truce and the release of the remaining hostages.
After that diplomatic breakthrough, Witkoff and Kushner turned their attention to Ukraine. The two are working discreetly on an initial draft of a peace agreement that Kiev’s European allies say is dangerously close to Russian demands and risks a de facto capitulation.
Next week, the diplomatic duo could travel to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to “finalize” the peace plan, Trump announced on Tuesday. This is expected to be Witkoff’s first visit to the Kremlin, accompanied by another envoy of the US president.
“We always turn to Jared when we’re looking for a deal. Sometimes we just need his brains,” Trump said in a speech to the Israeli parliament in October, as Kushner watched from the balcony. An American official described him as someone who was “very good at structuring and formulating his ideas on paper“.