Potential Peacemaker – Reuters: President Trump Considering Ric Grenell for Special Envoy to Ukraine
There’s no comment or confirmation from President Trump, so take things with the proverbial grain of salt, however, what Reuters is reporting here does make a lot of sense.
According to Reuters ‘exclusive’ reporting, President Trump is considering former Acting DNI, former Ambassador to Germany, and former peace negotiator for Serbia/Kosovo, Ric Grenell for the position of Special Envoy to Ukraine. This would position Ric Grenell as the peacemaker in the center of something that is very strategically important to President Trump and the world.
Many people have wondered why we have not heard the name Ric Grenell before for any other position. If the report is accurate, this could indeed explain the void. Remember, Marco Rubio is nominated for State Dept, but Trump appears to be putting guardrails against the neocon tendencies of the Florida Senator and junior McCain.
President Trump has removed the mid-east from Rubio’s portfolio with the appointment of Steven C. Witkoff to be Special Envoy to the Middle East. That appointment stops Secretary Rubio from blocking a restart of the peace process via the Abraham Accords. If President Trump wanted to smartly keep Rubio out of the Ukraine dynamic, appointing Ric Grenell would be a solid option.
WASHINGTON, Nov 22 (Reuters) – President-elect Donald Trump is considering tapping Richard Grenell, his former intelligence chief, to be a special envoy for the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to four sources familiar with the transition plans.
Grenell, who served as Trump’s ambassador to Germany and was acting director of national intelligence during Trump’s 2017-2021 term, would play a key role in Trump’s efforts to halt the war if he is ultimately selected for the post.
While there is currently no special envoy dedicated solely to resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Trump is considering creating the role, according to the four sources, who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
Trump could ultimately decide not to create a special envoy for the conflict in Ukraine, although he is strongly considering doing so, the sources said. If he does, he could ultimately select someone else for the role, and there is no guarantee Grenell would accept.
[…] During a Bloomberg roundtable in July, [Grenell] advocated for the creation of “autonomous zones” as a means of settling the conflict, which began after Russia invaded Ukrainian sovereign territory. He also suggested he would not be in favor of Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the immediate future, a position he shares with many Trump allies. (read more)
This would be a good opportunity for Grenell and come with very high worldwide visibility. A major-league powerful and important job, that would put Grenell at the center of the geopolitical universe for the first year of the Trump administration. President Trump does appear to trust Ric Grenell, and the trust aspect in the relationship would be extremely important.
All in all, while it is only a rumor right now, the Reuters story does make a lot of sense.
Personally, if true, I think it is a great idea.
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