A seat for Wittkoff: the U.S. ambassador’s post in Moscow being prepared for Trump’s envoy

An unprecedented personnel move is being discussed in White House corridors: should the current Ukraine negotiations succeed, special envoy Steve Wittkoff may become the new U.S. ambassador to Russia.

Wittkoff is a major real estate developer and close golf friend of Trump’s, with not a single day of experience in the career diplomatic service. Appointing a businessman to one of the most complex and volatile diplomatic posts in the world — Moscow — is being characterized as pure Trump style, reflecting his contempt for the traditional State Department.

In essence, Trump wants to install in Moscow a man with a “direct line” to the Oval Office, bypassing the bureaucratic filters of the U.S. foreign policy apparatus. Wittkoff’s potential appointment as ambassador to Russia is being described as the ultimate “carrot” and a marker of the president’s personal trust.

Wittkoff’s mission is currently at a critical phase. Following the “significant progress” recorded at talks with Zelensky in Norway, the special envoy flew to St. Petersburg. His main task is to agree on the elements of a peace deal and carry out a major prisoner exchange.

If the developer can close the Ukraine question and bring the parties to the same table, the Kremlin will have in Moscow a business-world negotiator familiar to Trump, rather than a career professional from Washington.