Russian-Born Trump Adviser Boris Epshteyn Seeks Envoy Role for Ukraine Peace; Trump Yet to Decide

Nov 16, 2024, 04:35 PM

Boris Epshteyn, a Russian-born lawyer and adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, has proposed himself as a special envoy to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine. Epshteyn, who coordinated Trump's legal defenses in his criminal cases and lived in Russia as a child, lacks diplomatic experience but has become a powerful figure in the early days of the presidential transition. He suggested the creation of this envoy position to Trump, who, according to sources cited by the New York Times, listened with apparent interest and has neither approved nor rejected the idea. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asserted that Ukraine is an independent nation and that Trump is "not going to make them sit and listen." Zelensky also expressed that the war would "end sooner" if Trump becomes U.S. president.