Why the US Talks to Putin Before Zelensky: 4 Reasons

US special envoys Stephen Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Vladimir Putin before visiting Kyiv, and President Donald Trump plans to call the Kremlin before speaking with Ukraine's president, raising questions about the order of these diplomatic contacts. The AI model Gemini explained this sequence as pragmatic negotiation logic: Washington first seeks to understand Moscow's demands since Russia is the aggressor holding territorial initiative, allowing US mediators to assess these conditions before discussing them with Ukrainian leadership. Trump reportedly treats diplomacy like business negotiations, using the initial Putin contact to test the ground, while also seeking to establish a negotiation framework before engaging Kyiv and European partners. The approach reflects Trump's preference for direct contact with authoritarian leaders, though it creates risks for Ukraine by potentially shaping agreement parameters behind Kyiv's back and presenting it with pre-formed proposals from Moscow.