Kathrine Frich
Commentators wasted no time tearing into the visiting businessmen.
High-level diplomacy usually features seasoned politicians shaking hands in quiet rooms.
But sometimes, billionaires step into the geopolitical arena, and the reaction from the other side is anything but polite.
A harsh reception
Donald Trump recently sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner across the globe with a new peace proposal. Following weeks of intense fighting, the two American envoys spent more than three hours meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On Sunday, they also sat down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Both sides are desperately looking for a path out of a conflict that has gripped the region for weeks.
The Kremlin publicly called the discussions “highly useful”, but the mood on Russian state television took a completely different turn. Commentators wasted no time tearing into the visiting businessmen.
Mixing business and politics
Rafael Ordukhanyan, an Americanist speaking on a Russian broadcast, aimed his criticism directly at Witkoff and his massive commercial interests. He openly questioned the envoy’s true priorities.
“I have a question. Is he resolving global conflicts in his free time between business deals, or is he making deals in his free time between resolving global issues?” Ordukhanyan said, as reported by the Daily Express.
He continued his attack by bringing up a massive sports franchise purchase.
“I am under the impression he will deal with Ukraine in between buying the Los Angeles Lakers for $12.5 billion. This is not serious. These people don’t know politics.”
Doubts on the ground
Other voices on the panel echoed that deep skepticism about the American strategy. Journalist Michael Bohm offered a blunt assessment of what the diplomatic trip actually achieved.
“The only point of Witkoff and Kushner’s visit is to attempt to explain, once again, why Russia can’t be forced into peace,” Bohm said.
To drive the point home, Nikolai Starikov, founder of the Great Fatherland Party, dismissed the power of diplomacy altogether.
According to the Daily Express, Starikov stated that “our best negotiators are our soldiers, diplomats should remember this”.
A temporary pause
The diplomatic visits coincided with a brief break in the violence. By midnight on Saturday, Putin had ordered his military forces to completely stop striking Kyiv for three days.
Zelenskyy then issued his own order to halt attacks on Moscow.
Yet the path forward remains complicated. Putin reportedly told the envoys the situation was “not simple”, according to the Daily Express.
Sources: Daily Express
