U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is considering naming his former intelligence director, diplomat Richard Grenell, as a special Ukrainian peace envoy to lead negotiations on an end to Russia's war, Reuters reported on Nov. 22.
Fox News previously reported on Nov. 13 that Trump planned to announce a special envoy to take the lead on peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv. Throughout his campaign, Trump insisted he would negotiate a swift end to Russia's all-out war in Ukraine if reelected.
Grenell is a contender for the new position, four sources close to Trump's transition plans told Reuters.
Grenell served as U.S. Ambassador to Germany during Trump's first presidential term and as acting National Intelligence Director for a period in 2020. He was also appointed Special Presidential Envoy for Serbia and Kosovo Peace Negotiations from 2019-2021.
In July, Grenell told Bloomberg that a path to peace in Ukraine could include the creation of "autonomous zones," though he did not explain what this would entail.
"Autonomous regions can mean a lot of things to a lot of people, but you got to work through those details," he said.
Grenell also said he did not think Ukraine should become a member of NATO in the near future.
The sources who spoke to Bloomberg said it was still possible Trump could change his mind about establishing the Ukraine envoy position.
