Trump appoints ex-intelligence chief as envoy for special missions

On December 14, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced that he was appointing Richard Grenell, his former intelligence chief, as the presidential envoy for special missions. 

Grenell is expected to focus on driving U.S. policies toward adversarial nations, including North Korea, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

"Ric will work in some of the hottest spots around the World, including Venezuela and North Korea," Trump stated on his Truth Social platform, though he did not provide further details about the role.

As reported, Grenell will also address tensions in the Balkans. Grenell previously served as Trump’s ambassador to Germany, a special presidential envoy for Serbia and Kosovo peace negotiations, and acting director of national intelligence during Trump's first term from 2017 to 2021.

After supporting Trump during the 2020 election campaign, Grenell was a leading candidate for secretary of state, a position ultimately given to U.S. Senator Marco Rubio. He was also considered for the role of special envoy for the Ukraine war, which went to retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg.

Presidents often appoint special envoys to handle global issues, crises, or specific diplomatic efforts. In this case, North Korea and Venezuela are among the U.S. adversaries that Grenell will focus on.

Trump has previously expressed interest in direct talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, hoping to reduce the risks of conflict, though the reciprocal actions Kim might offer remain unclear. Despite four years of outreach from U.S. President Joe Biden, North Korea has refused to engage in talks without preconditions, and Kim has strengthened ties with Russia while expanding his missile arsenal.

The U.S. President-elect has also labelled Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro a dictator during his campaign. Maduro, however, indicated that Trump’s potential re-election could mark "a new start" for U.S.-Venezuela relations. During his first term, Trump imposed severe sanctions on Venezuela, particularly targeting its oil industry. Maduro severed diplomatic ties with the U.S. in 2019.

Grenell has had prior interactions with Maduro’s associates. According to Reuters, in 2020, Grenell secretly met with a representative of Maduro in an attempt to negotiate the Venezuelan leader’s peaceful exit following the controversial 2018 re-election, which was widely regarded as a sham by Western nations. However, no agreement was reached.

To recall, on December 11, Reuters reported that President-elect Donald Trump was considering tapping Richard Grenell to be a special envoy for Iran.

By Khagan Isayev