ويتكوف وكوشنر.. محادثات حساسة في يوم واحد وتحذير من “مشاكل”

Witkoff and Kushnir conducted nuclear talks with Iranian officials in Geneva on Tuesday, followed immediately by participation in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. Diplomats consider the combination of high-stakes negotiations executed consecutively to be an unusual arrangement that may lead to complications.

Following three hours of talks, the Iranian Foreign Minister stated that an agreement was reached on key principles with the United States. He noted positive developments compared to previous rounds, adding that both sides will work on two drafts of a potential agreement document.

In the same city, less than two kilometers from the Omani consulate, Witkoff and Kushnir engaged in talks between Russia and Ukraine aimed at reaching an agreement to end the four-year conflict. Vladimir Medinsky leads the Russian delegation, while Rustem Umerov heads the Ukrainian delegation.

Commenting on these consecutive negotiations, Daniel Fried, a former US ambassador to Poland, stated that while it is not unusual for foreign ministers or senior diplomats to handle multiple issues during a trip, it is unusual for special envoys to be burdened with two tasks simultaneously. Fried, who also served as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs under former President George W. Bush, warned that problems could escalate if envoys are not supported by expert teams. He added that “combining people carrying two tasks at once, who may lack adequate support staff and are not expected to cover every fine detail, can cause problems.”

Fried viewed this example as evidence that the Trump administration is not fully utilizing its diplomatic resources. He suggested that it also reflects that Trump trusts his son-in-law and envoy more than his own administration. He concluded that “in the end, the matter must be judged by results. So far, the results are impressive regarding the Ukrainians and Europeans in terms of concessions Washington managed to extract, but are not impressive regarding the Russians, who have offered nothing.”