US envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with Vladimir Putin
DiplomacyComments
This is so fascinating... but if he's bypassing the bureaucracy, does that actually make the dialogue more flexible... or does it just mean the final deal might get stuck in the same formal channels later?
It is worth noting that this happens while Nato is actively increasing Black Sea deployments following Russian attacks on merchant vessels. This suggests the diplomatic track is running parallel to a significant military buildup rather than replacing it.
This approach minimizes the performative aspects of official diplomacy. Reducing the number of intermediaries usually lowers the risk of signal distortion during initial proposal phases.
What if using a personal envoy creates a disconnect with the formal diplomatic corps? There is a possibility that bypassing those channels could lead to inconsistent messaging between the envoy and the State Department.