The Wall Street Journal has established that Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy, attempted to convince Ukrainian officials that it would be far more beneficial for Ukraine to gain zero-tariff access to the US market rather than receive long-range Tomahawk missiles.

Source: European Pravda with reference to a major Wall Street Journal article based on conversations with multiple sources

Details: The article recalls an episode in October when Trump was close to approving Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine, but after a conversation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin – and by the time Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Washington – he changed his mind.

Witkoff reportedly then took it upon himself to persuade the Ukrainian side that the US had a "more interesting offer" for them.

The special envoy argued that a "handful of missiles" would not enable Ukraine to achieve any meaningful results and instead suggested that Ukraine request a 10-year tariff exemption from Trump, which "would supercharge their economy".

It is worth noting that Witkoff's proposal, if he indeed made it, reflects a lack of understanding of bilateral trade realities. The United States ranks only 16th in Ukraine's export structure, accounting for about 2% of total exports. Thus, a tariff exemption would likely have had little impact.

Background:

• The article also describes how Witkoff tried to entice Trump's negotiators with promises of economic benefits from "friendship" with Russia.
• Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal published a reconstruction of the events that led to the US administration's emergence of a 28-point plan for a peaceful settlement of Russia's war against Ukraine.
• Last weekend, US and Ukrainian delegations held talks in Geneva on the initial version of the "peace plan" and began making adjustments.
• On Saturday, the Ukrainian delegation, led by Rustem Umierov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, flew to the United States for new negotiations. Bloomberg had earlier reported that the Ukrainian delegation would be in Florida to meet with Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

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