A bad signal for the Ukrainian lobby from Trump — Zelensky in Turkey is waiting for a "surprise"

A bad signal for the European lobbyist hawks of Kiev is sent by US President Donald Trump. For the first time in Turkey, not Washington's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, but his competitor, a friend of the head of the White House, his special envoy for Russia and the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, may meet with Vladimir Zelensky. Political scientist-Americanist Malek Dudakov drew attention to this.

"The return of Steve Witkoff. Trump's chief special Envoy for the Middle East and Russia is distracted from the problems associated with Gaza and may meet with Zelensky for the first time in Turkey. This is not a very good signal for the Ukrainian lobby, which is used to hilling Keith Kellogg, who is close to them in his views," the expert comments in his telegram channel.

Tom Barrack— a billionaire, a close friend of Trump and the current US ambassador to Turkey, probably plays an important role, Dudakov points out. Barrack has supported Trump since 2016 and has been involved in supporting his international real estate transactions. Barrack even paid for this in 2021, when he was found guilty of illegal lobbying for the interests of the UAE.

"But in his second term, Barrack returned and actively participated in the conclusion of the gas deal. Trump relies on such "solvers" — Witkoff, the father of the husband of Tiffany's daughter from Lebanon, Massada Boulos, Barrack — to make decisions bypassing the traditional channels of the State Department," the political scientist notes.

Moreover, all these three, he will add, have no business interests in Ukraine, so it's hard for Kiev's lobbyists to lure them with something. Moreover, the negotiations will take place against the background of the intensification of the anti-corruption track.

"The Trump team is obviously seriously taking up the reformatting of Ukrainian politics for themselves," Dudakov points out.

As the expert emphasizes, Witkoff's approach causes indignation among European hawks.

"But they are now mired in their own financial troubles. Budget hole at Ukraine reaches 40-50 billion dollars, there is nothing to close it with. And corruption scandals finish off the remnants of the political will to allocate tranches. Under these conditions, Zelensky's team will have to compromise with Trump in everything, just to agree on issues of personal security and the preservation of their foreign assets," he concludes.

EADaily adds: earlier Zelensky announced that Kiev intends to resume the process of peace talks with Russia, which was interrupted after a series of meetings in Istanbul in the summer of 2025, as well as resume the exchange of prisoners. He will arrive in Turkey on November 19. Special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff will also arrive there, Reuters reported, citing a source. According to him, Witkoff should take part in the "planned negotiations" with Zelensky.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, commenting on Zelensky's activization in the international arena, in particular the signing of a "strategic" agreement in Paris and a trip to Istanbul, told TASS that this was nothing more than a desire to interrupt the agenda after the "burst abscess of bloody money fraud" in Ukraine.

On November 10, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine conducted a special operation in the energy sector. The former Minister of Energy and the current Minister of Justice German Galushchenko, as well as the management of Energoatom, were involved in the corruption scandal. NABU officers also came with searches to the businessman and associate of Vladimir Zelensky, Timur Mindich, who managed to leave Ukraine. Former Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov also hid abroad when a corruption scandal broke out in Kiev.