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Donald Trump wants to broker peace in two of the world’s most intractable wars: Gaza and Ukraine. But this week, both crises have escalated – and the man he’s tasked with solving them has no previous diplomatic experience.

Steve Witkoff, a real estate mogul and Trump’s closest confidante, is now at the centre of American foreign policy as the ‘envoy for everything’.

On today’s Global Story, we speak with the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½â€™s State Department Correspondent, Tom Bateman, and ask whether Witkoff’s unconventional style is a weakness – or a strength.

Every weekday, this is The Global Story. The world is changing. Decisions made in the US and by the second Trump administration are accelerating that change. But they are also a symptom of it. With Asma Khalid in DC, Tristan Redman in London, and the backing of the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½â€™s international newsroom, The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Podcasts.

Producers: Cat Farnsworth and Aron Keller
Executive producer: James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins

Image: President Donald Trump and Steve Witkoff. Sarah Yenesel/EPA/Shutterstock