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U.S. officials in Moscow with new proposal to end Russia-Ukraine war · THE DAILY BRIEF

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a three-day halt to
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: strikes on Kyiv as preparation for a visit by U.S. officials.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: They've landed in Moscow to discuss a new peace plan
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  Speaker 1: to end Russia's war with Ukraine. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff
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  Speaker 1: and President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner stepped off their plane
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  Speaker 1: earlier today where they met Russia's presidential envoy. After the
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  Speaker 1: talks in Russia to end the more than four-year war,
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  Speaker 1: the pair are expected to fly to Kiev tomorrow. Journalist
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: Dominic Volaitis has more now on what we know about
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  Speaker 1: the trip.
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  Speaker 2: This is a high-stakes mission for Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
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  Speaker 2: We're told, as you say, they're carrying with them a
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  Speaker 2: brand-new U.S. proposal aimed at resolving this conflict. According to
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  Speaker 2: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, after Moscow today, the pair are
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  Speaker 2: planning to head to Kiev tomorrow for what will be
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  Speaker 2: their first diplomatic visit to Ukraine. All of this, of course, Linda,
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: is happening amid heightened military tensions, as well as the
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  Speaker 2: attack on the shopping center that you just mentioned there.
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  Speaker 2: Ukraine says several people were killed in overnight strikes and
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  Speaker 2: strikes this morning. And then yesterday, there was that Russian
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  Speaker 2: drone attack on the Kiev office of Ukraine's security chief,
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  Speaker 2: an attack which has been described as a significant escalation,
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  Speaker 2: with Zelensky ordering an adequate response to it. Now, all
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  Speaker 2: that said, Zelensky had said offered to guarantee Wyckoff and
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  Speaker 2: Kushner's safety while en route to Moscow today, urging Russia
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  Speaker 2: to mirror the commitment when the pair head to Ukraine tomorrow.
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  Speaker 2: But Zelensky's already hitting out at Moscow this morning, claiming
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  Speaker 2: that this morning two Ukrainian airports were hit by Russian drones, airport,
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  Speaker 2: he says, that may have been used by the American
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  Speaker 2: team tomorrow. Russia's response, Zelensky posted on Telegram, to American diplomacy.
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  Speaker 2: But if it will have any effect, any impact on
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: Wyckoff and Kushner's visit to Kiev tomorrow, we'll have to
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  Speaker 2: wait and see, Linda.
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  Speaker 1: Dominic Volaitis in Bristol, England. Joining us for more on
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  Speaker 1: this is Michael Bosser-Kew. He's a senior fellow at the
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: Atlantic Council and the founder of the World Briefing Report
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  Speaker 1: on Substack, joining us this morning from Jakarta. Thanks very
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: much for being on the program.
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  Speaker 3: Great to be with you again, Linda.
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  Speaker 1: So let's talk about this 72-hour pause and these visits
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  Speaker 1: by the U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, these peace talks,
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  Speaker 1: and then this first trip ever for the two to Kiev.
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  Speaker 1: What do you make of these new efforts to end
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  Speaker 1: the war? Sure.
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  Speaker 4: Well, I was speaking to contacts in Kyiv today, and
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  Speaker 4: they're certainly going to be welcoming those three days of
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  Speaker 4: calm because they've just been pummeled over the past weeks.
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  Speaker 3: Also, the sight of a U.S.
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  Speaker 4: Government aircraft in the air is over Kyiv skies, which
• 3:02
  Speaker 4: have been close since the start of the war, is
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  Speaker 4: going to be something for a lot of people. But
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  Speaker 4: as Dominic mentioned, those two airports, Zhulyanyi, the municipal airport
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  Speaker 4: in Kyiv, was struck actually yesterday. and then Boryspil in
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  Speaker 4: the past 24 hours, but not badly enough to avoid
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  Speaker 4: them landing. Now, it has to be said that there's
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  Speaker 4: a lot of skepticism on the Ukrainian side because there's
• 3:24
  Speaker 4: been a lot of shuttle diplomacy by these two gentlemen,
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  Speaker 4: their first time to Kiev, and it's doubtful that a
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  Speaker 4: proposal will come via Moscow to Kiev that will be
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  Speaker 4: acceptable to not only Mr.
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  Speaker 3: Zelensky, but of course to millions of Ukrainians.
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  Speaker 1: I'm going to pick up on what you were just
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  Speaker 1: mentioning there and the ongoing violence and the escalation of
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: that violence that we have seen. Just in the last
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  Speaker 1: few days, really, with a number of very large strikes
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  Speaker 1: on both sides, we're talking about strikes in Odessa, Dnipro,
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  Speaker 1: on Ukraine's security service headquarters in Kiev, oil depots being
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: targeted by Ukraine to put pressure on the economy there.
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  Speaker 1: How can there be productive talks when both sides are
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  Speaker 1: still bombing each other?
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  Speaker 3: Well, exactly.
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  Speaker 4: And what the Russians are doing is degrading Ukrainian infrastructure
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  Speaker 4: and something new this year, not only power of electrical stations,
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  Speaker 4: things like that, but also warehouses where I'm usually based
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  Speaker 4: on Odessa. Many warehouses that stock water and food are
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  Speaker 4: being really badly hit. So now Ukrainians have an added
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  Speaker 4: fear of not having enough food in the coming weeks.
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  Speaker 4: The other fear is if there weren't enough, right, is
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  Speaker 4: comments from Mr. Zelensky's deputy chief of staff that Russia
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  Speaker 4: is preparing for yet another ground invasion. He mentioned Kyiv
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  Speaker 4: Oblast and Chernihiv Oblast. So the Russians seem to be
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  Speaker 4: going the opposite way of reaching peace. And I have
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  Speaker 4: to say with my skeptical Canadian eyes as well, let's
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  Speaker 4: not forget, this is a team that did not bring
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  Speaker 4: much relief whatsoever to places like the Gaza Strip. And
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  Speaker 4: even here in this region, Linda, the conflict on the
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  Speaker 4: Thai-Cambodian border, which Mr. Trump took credit for solving, is
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  Speaker 4: still simmering too.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, so you're not optimistic, but what is the role
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  Speaker 1: here of the U.S. in trying to come to an
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  Speaker 1: end with this war? And given its recent focus on
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: the conflict in Iran, how focused is the U.S. actually
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: on making any real progress towards a solution here?
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  Speaker 3: Well, you know, zero credibility.
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  Speaker 4: And I have repeatedly said all the Ukrainians need to do,
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  Speaker 4: all Mr.
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  Speaker 3: Zelensky needs to.
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  Speaker 4: Do, is to look at how America's traditional best friend
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  Speaker 4: and ally, Canada, has been treated with such disrespect by
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  Speaker 4: the Trump administration. Now, look, the goal here is not
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  Speaker 4: only to bring the two sides together, Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Putin,
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  Speaker 4: for substantive talks, but if a deal is reached... you
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  Speaker 4: need a guarantor, a security guarantor with gravitas who has
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  Speaker 4: the means to enforce whatever was agreed to. And it's
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  Speaker 4: doubtful the U.S. has the willingness or has the desire
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  Speaker 4: to do that. So, hence, I've been also saying for
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  Speaker 4: the longest time that maybe we need a more credible interlocutor,
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  Speaker 4: such as Turkey or even the Gulf states, to play
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  Speaker 4: a role in bringing this war to an end.
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  Speaker 3: Because The big, big.
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  Speaker 4: Fear right now is also a further demographic hollowing out
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  Speaker 4: of Ukraine by more killing, but also by scaring people
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  Speaker 4: to leave ahead of this brutal winter that is expected.
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  Speaker 1: I'm going to pick up on that with the question
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  Speaker 1: I wanted to ask you next. It's about Canada's role now, because,
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  Speaker 1: you know, we heard Mark Carney say that if he
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  Speaker 1: speaks with Putin, he's going to tell him to get
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  Speaker 1: out of Ukraine. Zelensky is expected to be in Canada
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  Speaker 1: as early as next week. So what is Canada's role
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  Speaker 1: here now?
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  Speaker 4: That's a good question, because, you know, in the past week,
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  Speaker 4: when we look at actions speak louder than words, right?
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  Speaker 3: It's good Mr.
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  Speaker 4: Carney is saying this. It's good that Mr. Zelensky may
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  Speaker 4: come to Canada. But why is it? Why is it
• 7:35
  Speaker 4: that Canada quietly.
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  Speaker 3: Delisted a former president?
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  Speaker 4: Putin insider by the name of Anatoly Chabias in late August.
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  Speaker 4: It was mentioned in the Canada Gazette, no podium press conference,
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  Speaker 4: nothing like that. This is somebody who was sanctioned by Canada,
• 7:51
  Speaker 4: taken off the sanction list, and now he can come
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  Speaker 4: to Canada.
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  Speaker 3: Canadians can do business with him.
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  Speaker 4: The other thing Canada has not done, which puts it
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  Speaker 4: alone as a G7 member, has not expelled one Russian
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  Speaker 4: diplomat since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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  Speaker 4: Maybe Global Affairs Canada thinks they're all Boy Scout diplomats
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  Speaker 4: not doing any harm, but ask any Ukrainian living in Ottawa,
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  Speaker 4: for example, what they're up to, and there's very, very
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  Speaker 4: substantial grounds to have them expelled. Canada fears that the
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  Speaker 4: Russians will close down the Canadian embassy in Moscow if
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  Speaker 4: that's done.
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  Speaker 3: So what? Let it be closed.
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  Speaker 4: But Russia has to be sent these strong messages that
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  Speaker 4: we will not tolerate the kind of war crimes that
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  Speaker 4: they're doing and also that grey war zone type of
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  Speaker 4: activities in Canada and elsewhere.
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  Speaker 1: Well, we'll see how that plays out in Ottawa if
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: we do in fact see President Zelensky next week. Michael
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  Speaker 1: Bossercue in Jakarta, thanks very much as always for your thoughts.
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  Speaker 3: My pleasure, thank you.