"This is a Struggle for Influence Over the White House": Expert Explains Why the Vitkoff–Ushakov Conversation Was Leaked

Political expert and military officer Oleksandr Musienko commented on the leak of the Vitkoff–Ushakov conversation to Bloomberg, explaining what it actually means and how it should be perceived, as reported by Politeka.

He shared his thoughts in his blog.

“To be honest, I wouldn't be too surprised. To say that this is something where they were conspiring… There are absolutely no proposals regarding Ukraine, nothing like Vitkoff saying to Ushakov, ‘Listen, tell Putin we are ready to pressure Ukraine into giving up Donetsk.’ Perhaps, on other tapes, that might be the case, but maybe this is not the final version. But from the perspective of the media publication – okay, as a scandal – perhaps not. Vitkoff has publicly almost expressed admiration for Russia, and sometimes he has publicly relayed Russia’s position. So, the leak of this conversation should not be surprising, and it doesn’t really change anything,” commented Oleksandr Musienko.

He also noted that Trump himself has said that it’s normal to sell something to Russia and something to Ukraine. So, there won't be a scandal, Vitkoff won’t be fired, and the U.S. president continues to treat the Russia–Ukraine war as a business: offering something to one side, something to the other, finding points of contact, and this train will keep moving.

In the expert’s view, the leak should be approached from a different angle: this may not be an attempt to discredit Vitkoff, who didn’t say anything criminal, but rather a signal that not everyone in Trump’s administration agrees with the current course. It also shows that officials are being watched, compromising material is being collected against them, and they need to be more careful moving forward.

"Obviously, this is a struggle for influence over the White House and the shaping of foreign policy. Maybe those behind the leak are interested in weakening U.S. Vice President Pence and his team. Right now, Pence is in control of a lot of things. Last week, Zelensky had a phone conversation with the vice president, discussing points of the peace plan. Driscoll, the U.S. Secretary of the Army and a negotiator on Russia, is also closely aligned with Pence. He’s managing a lot right now. But supposedly, Secretary of State Rubio has a different stance. So, maybe he wants to strengthen his position or is trying to have it strengthened. It seems to me that this is where the key issues lie, rather than in the content of the conversation itself,” commented Oleksandr Musienko.

Latest news:

Let's remember Politeka wrote, Expert Explains Why Europe Is Providing Ukraine with War Aid: “It’s the Greatest Shield”

Politeka also informed, He became one of the brightest figures in Polish politics: Sławomir Majman talks about the new president of Poland

In addition, Politeka informed, Expert Explains Whether the West Can Destroy Russia’s Shadow Fleet