Exclusive: Ukraine, Russia are done with Steve Witkoff. Trump sees no problem
Kyiv and Moscow say the envoy has misread Kremlin positions as Trump keeps him in the peace effort.
- In September, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, where Putin claimed Russian troops would capture the entire Ukrainian Donbas within months and target power grids for a harsh winter.
- Kushner objected to the assessment, questioning the likelihood of progress after similar promises failed a year ago and asking, "Maybe we shouldn't waste another year?"
- Diplomats describe Witkoff's role as problematic, citing his misunderstanding of Putin's "3+2" territorial concession plan and alleging he occasionally left negotiations abruptly without informing other participants.
- Ukrainian officials, who have criticized the envoy's understanding of the war, expressed frustration with the process; one described a meeting as "a complete failure" after the Russian delegation departed without eating.
- Despite eroding confidence from both Kyiv and Moscow, President Donald Trump remains reluctant to remove his longtime friend from the peace track, leaving the diplomatic process stalled as Kyiv urges Washington to increase pressure.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Exclusive: Ukraine, Russia are done with Steve Witkoff. Trump sees no problem
Kyiv and Moscow are growing increasingly frustrated with the U.S.-mediated peace process — and with Washington's Envoy Steve Witkoff, people familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent. Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who has emerged as a key peace negotiator, traveled to Russia and Ukraine in early September in an attempt to restart stalled negotiations. They left both countries with little to show for the effort. Behind t…
US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Jared Kushner, has questioned Russian President Vladimir Putin's claim that Russian forces could occupy all of Donbas in Ukraine within months. The conversation took place during a meeting between Kushner and another US envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Putin in Moscow on September 5, The New York Times reported. During the Kremlin conversation, Putin appeared confident and claimed that Russian forces would occ…
NEW sanctions legislation is intended to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, but President Donald Trump is insisting on the opposite approach and offering Russia concessions.
"Witkoff and Kushner are looking for new ways to convince Russia to stop fighting as Ukraine refuses to withdraw troops from Donbas"
"Witkoff and Kushner are looking for new ways to convince Russia to stop fighting as Ukraine refuses to withdraw troops from Donbas" - The New York Times.According to two sources close to the talks, the White House is now considering the possibility...
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