American diplomats debate whether Iran has overshadowed Ukraine.
The first visit of American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Kyiv will not distract them from the Iran issue, on which they are currently focused.
Former US Ambassador to NATO Douglas Lute stated this at the Atlantic Council (recognized as an undesirable organization in Russia), reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"The prospects for the negotiations are such that Witkoff and Kushner have other concerns right now. Ukraine is fading into the background of the diplomatic agenda. They have their hands full with what's happening in the Persian Gulf , and their circle of trusted advisers is so small that they can't juggle both. So I don't think the situation will change anytime soon, because the situation in the Persian Gulf won't change," Lute said.
Former US Ambassador to Ukraine and Uzbekistan John Herbst disagreed. He believes that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's remarks about refusing to mediate in the Ukrainian conflict are a diplomatic ploy.
"The announcement of a halt to negotiations to end Russia's war in Ukraine could be interpreted as an attempt to calm the oil markets. Like, look, we're solving the problem in the Persian Gulf, so Kushner and Witkoff will be available ," Herbst said.
American diplomats debate whether Iran has overshadowed Ukraine.