Trump selects negotiating team on Ukraine: What is known

"I have asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, to lead the negotiations which, I feel strongly, will be successful," Trump wrote.

At the same time, the US President did not mention his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, although it is already known that he will attend the Munich Conference and visit Kyiv this week.

What is known about Trump’s negotiating team

Marco Rubio – US Secretary of State. He has worked in government at various levels for over 25 years, including the last 13 in the Senate.

Rubio is known for his predominantly "hawkish" views on national security and foreign policy.

He has long supported a tough stance on China and Russia. Previously, he advocated supporting Ukraine but later shifted to a more skeptical position, aligning with Trump’s views.

Rubio has repeatedly stated that the Russia-Ukraine war should end through negotiations, with both sides making concessions.

John Ratcliffe is the CIA Director. From 2020 to 2021, he served as the Director of National Intelligence in the US, overseeing the coordinating body that gathers and consolidates intelligence data from various agencies for the president.

Ratcliffe is considered personally loyal to Trump. In early 2022, he made a series of pro-Ukrainian statements.

Recently, the CIA chief stated that Russia's war against Ukraine increases "the risk of the United States being drawn into a conflict with a nuclear-armed country," highlighting it as one of the threats to US national security.

Michael Waltz – US President’s National Security Advisor.

He has combat experience from serving in special operations forces in Afghanistan. In recent years, he was a congressman from Florida. After Russia's full-scale invasion, Waltz visited Kyiv as part of congressional delegations and voted in favor of bills providing aid to Ukraine.

Additionally, he has previously been involved in negotiations aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine. On December 23, in an interview with The Sunday Special, Waltz emphasized the need to involve all parties in the negotiations.

Steve Witkoff – Trump’s Special Envoy for Middle East Affairs.

In addition, Trump has tasked Witkoff with assisting in resolving Russia’s war against Ukraine. According to the US President, Witkoff possesses all the necessary negotiation skills.

Yesterday, Witkoff visited Moscow to retrieve American citizen Mark Fogel, who had been sentenced to 14 years in prison for alleged drug smuggling.

According to media reports, he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit. Witkoff also held negotiations with representatives from Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Trump’s plan to end the war

Right after his inauguration on January 20, US President Donald Trump called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to reach a deal to end the war against Ukraine, threatening stricter sanctions.

According to Western media, he allegedly tasked special envoy Keith Kellogg with ending the war within 100 days, though no official peace initiatives have been announced.

It was recently revealed that Kellogg will attend the Munich Security Conference, which will take place from February 14 to 16. There, he is likely to discuss the war in Ukraine but stated that he will not be presenting a peace plan.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Trump does not yet have a finalized plan to end Russia’s war against Ukraine and work on it will begin in February.

However, media reports in recent days suggest that Kellogg is already preparing to present Trump with a plan to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump himself recently stated that the US has made "tremendous progress" in negotiations with Moscow and Kyiv over the past week, and a peace deal could be reached.

Today, Trump held talks with Putin, during which they discussed the war against Ukraine. Later, he also spoke with Zelenskyy.