The implications of this approach do not stop in Europe. In the event of a conflict in Asia, even US allies may find themselves excluded from peace talks while Washington deals directly with the conflicting parties. As evidenced by Europe’s experience, they may then face an uphill battle to get a seat at the negotiating table and influence over the terms.
A besieged party could find itself forced to accept and implement decisions it had no say in.
Ironically, Moscow seems to understand the value of working with diplomatic partners more so than Washington. Russian Secretary of the Security Council Sergei Shoigu met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi around the time of Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner’s meeting with Mr Putin, with the two holding “in-depth exchanges” on Ukraine.
The dealmaker approach worked in Gaza and may yet pay dividends in Ukraine. However, the costs of this approach are also becoming apparent. Terms can be sorted out at the negotiating table, but it is much more challenging to regain the trust lost by disdaining US allies and partners.
Kevin Chen is an Associate Research Fellow with the US Programme at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. He writes a monthly column for CNA, published every first Friday.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/trump-peace-plan-ukraine-gaza-envoy-dealmaker-5550276
