Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner deserve praise for attempting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. Still, President Donald Trump would be wise to replace them with CIA Director John Ratcliffe in that effort. Ratcliffe’s position gives him far greater insight into the nature and calculations of both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. That insight will be crucial if peace talks are to progress.

While the White House and CIA have denied it, the Financial Times reported that Trump is considering giving Ratcliffe a key role in any future Ukraine talks. This would comport with Ratcliffe’s recent visit to Moscow to discuss the war and Russian threats to NATO.