When US President Donald Trump wanted to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, he began negotiating a potential deal to end the Russian-Ukurein War, he did not send the Secretary of State. .
The man he sent to the Kremlin to handle the Titanic geopolitical challenges doesn’t even have a diplomatic background.
Instead, Trump chose his personal friends, Golf Buddy and billionaire real estate developer Steve Witkoff.
The president made Witkov an envoy of the Middle East. However, last week, the Bronx-born businessman took part in a debate about ending conflicts in Eastern Europe. In Trump’s words, “like about three hours, for a very long period (Putin) and (Putin).”
Witkov was in Moscow and helped to promote the deal that he saw the US and Russia trade prisoners. This was seen as indicating the possibility of melting relations between the two countries.
Witkov was also involved in mediating the current ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
He was not officially in his post yet, but Witkov flew to Tel Aviv to meet Netanyahu before being intervened in Qatar. He then spent time with Biden’s envoy in Doha Brett McGurk. Doha later praised their cooperation, calling it “a very close partnership, and even friendship.”
Witkov is now returning to the region, particularly Saudi Arabia, for the first US-Russia meeting over the war in Ukraine after Trump made his own call with Putin. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security adviser Mike Waltz are also present.
But the bold moves made by Trump’s team has sparked concern among Western allies. They fear a new world order in which key players are locked out of discussion. Ukraine and other European countries were not invited to the Saudi Arabian conference.
So who is Witkoff – is he on the central stage as the US media calls him the “man in the room” and more potentially consequential international talks come out?
He was one of Trump’s first picks on his first team after winning the presidential election in November. Trump wrote:
“The president sees Steve as one of the world’s biggest commercial makers,” a White House official told Axios. According to another associate, Witkov’s preferred negotiation tactic was to use charms, but it also allowed pressure to rise.
The 67-year-old grew up in Long Island, New York, and trained as a real estate developer in one of America’s most cut markets.
As a longtime Republican donor, he has known Trump for decades, and, like the president, he has created fortunes in real estate in both New York and Florida.
Remembering that he worked on the Republican National Convention last year and spoke to Trump in the aftermath of his assassination attempt, Witkoff called the other man “a true dear friend… a good time and a bad time.” .
The two men are also longtime golfers, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham told NBC News. “Steve and I will be two guys who will play Trump and someone else and we’ll lose,” Graham said.
Another attacker who was allegedly claimed to be Trump’s attacker was blocked by the Secret Service during a shared golf session held in Florida last September. Trump said he and Witkov were bundled into a golf cart as agents moved to counter the suspects in the bushes.
Graham also said Witkoff first mentioned that in his lunch conversation he was interested in becoming a Middle Eastern envoy for Trump. “I didn’t know he was interested in the Middle East, so that surprised me,” Graham said.
Witkov’s authority as a Middle Eastern envoy has also been reported to include diplomacy with Iran. Those familiar with the issue said they told him he had been chosen to lead a nuclear deal with Tehran as part of a broader plan to “stop the war” in the region.
Witkoff’s trading skills were on display during Trump’s 2024 campaign. He helped ease tensions between Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the leading rival to his defeated Republican president.
Witkoff also reportedly smoothed things out by meeting Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.
He is now chairman of the University of Miami’s Business School Real Estate Advisory Committee and was appointed by Trump during his first term on the John F. Kennedy Arts Center board of trustees.
