Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and journalist Anne Applebaum argues that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are approaching Russia’s war against Ukraine through the mindset of businessmen—treating territory, investment and economic incentives as tools capable of producing peace.
Her criticism goes deeper than negotiating tactics.
Applebaum argues that Russia’s objective cannot be understood simply as acquiring valuable territory. She sees Vladimir Putin’s campaign against Ukraine as ideological: an attempt to dominate an independent democratic country whose political system challenges the authoritarian model Putin represents.
That distinction matters because Jared Kushner has publicly suggested that a peace agreement is largely assembled and that the territorial question remains the principal obstacle. Meanwhile, recent reporting says U.S.-Russia discussions have included a potential multibillion-dollar transaction involving Russian energy assets.
Applebaum’s warning: if Washington misunderstands what motivates Moscow, it risks negotiating a settlement around the wrong assumptions.
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Source: Video PBS Firing line - Anne Applebaum, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and journalist
