Kateryna Hirnyk 07:39, 17.07.25 UNIAN
General Keith Kellogg has recently taken on a more prominent role, while Special Representative for Russia Steve Witkoff has focused more on nuclear negotiations with Iran
US President Donald Trump’s sharp reversal on Russia is largely due to his growing dissatisfaction with Vladimir Putin’s tactics, but it is also the result of months of efforts by hawkish Republicans to push him to take a tougher line on Moscow.
According to sources at The Telegraph , the US ambassador to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio played a central role in these efforts.
Although Keith Kellogg continued to mediate relations with Ukraine, in February he was removed from direct negotiations between US officials and Moscow in favor of Steve Witkoff, a billionaire with no diplomatic experience.
Witkoff himself met with Putin personally four times – despite the fact that in an interview with Tucker Carlson he could not remember the names of the Ukrainian territories he was negotiating about, The Telegraph reminds.
However, things have begun to change in recent weeks, and as a congressman’s aide told The Telegraph, Kellogg “has been on the rise recently”:
“The diplomatic source added that General Kellogg “has taken on a more prominent role in recent weeks,” while Witkoff has been absorbed in negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.”
Another main driver of Trump’s decision to abandon the “velvet glove” approach to Russia is considered to be Secretary of State Marco Rubio .
The Telegraph notes that since taking office, Rubio, a longtime supporter of a tough foreign policy who once called Putin a “gangster,” a “bandit” and a “war criminal,” has taken a more conciliatory tone toward Moscow.
At the same time, according to one of the publication’s sources in Congress, Rubio’s close relationship with Trump allowed him to intervene when Putin intensified his attacks in Ukraine in recent weeks.
“Many of us believed that the Russians would ruin everything. [Our tactic was to] get out of the way and let the Russians remind us why this is happening. They always go too far,” the source told the publication.
Trump has strengthened his position on Russia
According to him, if the Russians do not agree to a peace initiative within 50 days, Washington will impose 100% secondary tariffs on goods from Russia.
In addition, he announced the supply of weapons to Ukraine. Now, European NATO member countries will buy weapons from the United States and transfer theirs to the Ukrainian army.
At the same time, Western analysts note that behind Trump’s loud statements, there is still more rhetoric than real action : there are no specifics regarding the volume and timing of weapons supplies, sanctions against Russia are being postponed, and the “ultimatum” to Putin looks like another attempt to reach an agreement personally, rather than strategically.
Of all the people on Trump’s team, Witless has the tiniest brain.
I remember watching one of our videos and Witless was being interviewed by Fucker Carlson and he couldn’t even name one of the oblasts Putler wanted…….
A third person whom played a key role in this paradigm shift is FLOTUS.