NEW YORK, February 8. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump stepped away from traditional diplomatic methods by deciding to involve Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll in talks on Ukraine and US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper in negotiations with Iran, Associated Press (AP) news agency said.

Both lines of talks are within the responsibility sphere of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, the news agency said. The decision to engage military leaders in the diplomatic process may be dictated by their experience and knowledge or presence of required connections and may also signal to participants in talks that the US is ready to resort to tougher methods, AP stressed. This step also evidences that Trump’s administration stepped back from traditional methods of foreign policy and diplomacy, the news agency added.

According to AP, Driscoll acted as the intermediary between the Ukrainian delegation and representatives of Trump’s administration, Witkoff and Kushner, at the trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi. Participation of US General Alexus Grynkewich that commands US and NATO forces in Europe helped the United States and Russia to agree upon the restart of the high-level military dialogue between the two sides, the news agency added.