NYT: Trump Takes Unconventional Approach In Ukraine Talks

The bet is on "diplomacy without diplomats".

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is increasingly taking an unconventional approach to foreign policy, turning over key negotiations not to the State Department but to the head of state's closest confidants, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, writes The New York Times.

The two held a series of meetings in Geneva on Tuesday, first with Iranian representatives and then with Russian and Ukrainian negotiators. That format was illustrative of Trump's approach, which has effectively sidelined the U.S. State Department and the U.S. National Security Council, institutions that have coordinated American diplomacy for decades.

Witkoff, a real estate developer and longtime Trump associate, is now the U.S. special envoy. Kushner - the president's son-in-law and architect of the Abraham Accords during his first term - has no official government position and receives no salary, but plays a key role in negotiations.

The duo's approach has been called "transactional": they focus on making agreements and avoid public lectures on human rights or democracy. Some countries, notably Russia, Turkey, and the Gulf states, view this model of engagement favorably. Russian interlocutors have even jokingly dubbed them "Vitkov and Zyatkov," emphasizing Kushner's kinship status.

In Iran, Kushner's involvement has also resonated. Local media call him "Damad Trump" ("Trump's son-in-law"), and some analysts note his pragmatism.

But experts caution: diplomacy without classical institutions may have limitations. At the recent Munich Security Conference, participants noted that Russia was in no hurry to conclude an agreement on Ukraine, believing it had an advantage on the battlefield. Russian ruler Vladimir Putin is convinced that time is working for Moscow, Western officials noted.

As for Iran, Trump is combining negotiations with a show of force, pulling U.S. naval forces into the region. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei responded by saying that aircraft carriers are "dangerous machines" but that there are weapons capable of "sending them to the bottom of the sea."

Critics of the administration also point to a potential conflict of interest: the Kushner and Witkoff family's business ties to Middle Eastern countries raise questions about the transparency of the negotiations.

Despite this, Trump is showing confidence in his team. According to his allies, it is his personal experience in making big business deals that makes Witkoff and Kushner effective negotiators in the most difficult international crises.

At the same time, the president periodically publicly accuses both Kiev and Moscow of inflexibility, saying that Ukraine must take into account the realities of confronting a nuclear-armed state. Thus, the White House's reliance on "diplomacy without diplomats" is becoming one of the key experiments of Trump's second term.

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