Who might lead Ukraine case under Trump and what they say about Ukraine

Richard Grenell is considered a potential special envoy for US President Donald Trump to address the Russia-Ukraine war.

In 2019, Politico described Grenell as a "non-diplomat" while reviewing his first eight months as US Ambassador to Germany. In this capacity he demonstrated loyalty to Trump and a knack for achieving results at any cost, hallmarks of Trump’s team members.

Read more about Grenell in the article by Oleh Pavliuk, a European Pravda journalist – A proponent of 'peace' at Ukraine’s cost: who is Richard Grenell, Trump's likely pick for Ukraine?

Grenell, 58, is a staunch Trump ally and a graduate of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. He has spent most of his career working within Republican campaigns and administrations. Ironically, Grenell collaborated with figures who had previously criticised Trump. He himself voiced mild criticism of Trump during the 2016 campaign before eventually endorsing him as the most viable presidential candidate.

In May 2018, under Trump's administration, Grenell began his diplomatic career as the US Ambassador to Germany.

Despite his reputation for a lack of diplomatic finesse, even critics acknowledged Grenell’s effectiveness in achieving Trump’s policy goals.

German companies did, in fact, reduce their business dealings with Iran, Berlin began discussing an increase in defence spending, and progress on Nord Stream 2 moved in a direction favourable to Ukraine (culminating in sanctions by late 2019).

Another notable "diplomatic" episode in Grenell's career was his appointment as Special Representative for Serbia and Kosovo.

He combined for some time this role with his position as Ambassador until mid-2020, when he became Acting Director of the US National Intelligence Agency.

Initially, Grenell was considered a candidate for Secretary of State in Trump’s prospective new administration. However, recent reports suggest he might instead take on another, potentially equally influential role in the White House: Special Envoy on the Russia-Ukraine War.

This position aligns with Trump's stated aim of achieving a swift "end to the war in Ukraine" through negotiations.

Grenell appears to be a fitting candidate for this task.

We don’t know much about his current views on Ukraine, as he has not dealt with this issue directly.

In 2023, he mentioned the war in Ukraine while criticising American diplomacy in general: "What we need right now is diplomacy with muscle. We need to stop mocking tough diplomats. What we've seen with Ukraine is that when diplomats fail, we have war and conflict."

Among his proposals, Grenell has suggested that a future peace agreement might include the creation of "autonomous regions" while preserving Ukraine's territorial integrity. He has also recommended postponing Ukraine's NATO membership for the time being.

Ironically, back in 2014, Grenell criticised the Obama administration for its overly soft response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He advocated inviting Kyiv to join NATO, expanding the missile defence shield in Eastern Europe, and increasing funding for Radio Free Europe (presumably to counter Russian propaganda).

Grenell is openly gay and has even referred to Trump as "the most pro-gay president in US history" (a claim that is, of course, debatable).

It is easy to imagine the awkward dynamics this could create for Russian officials, whose "traditional values" might clash with negotiating a peace deal with someone who, in their eyes, challenges those very principles.