Trump’s envoy ‘misunderstood’ Putin’s territorial demands as concessions, media report
Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, “misunderstood” Russian leader Vladimir Putin, German news outlet BILD reported
According to the outlet’s sources, Witkoff’s ceasefire proposal delivered to Putin in recent discussions entailed freezing the conflict along the current lines of control. In return, the Kremlin would see a broad lifting of sanctions and an offer of new economic agreements.
This offer does not satisfy the Russians, however, who still insist on full control of the eastern Luhansk and Donetsk regions and southern Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, Bild reported.
Russia currently occupies practically all of the Luhansk region and most of the Donetsk region, where its forces have been making creeping advances since the start of the war. These are also the only regions whose capitals are under Russian control, after Ukraine successfully liberated the city of Kherson back in November 2022.
In spite of that, Russia claims ownership of the entirety of the regions’ territories based on “referendums” it carried out in areas under its control in late September 2022.
What is more, Witkoff appears to have misinterpreted some statements made by Putin as concessions. One example cited by BILD was the Russian leader’s demand for a “peaceful withdrawal” of Ukrainian forces from Russian-claimed territory. Witkoff reportedly understood this as an offer of a “peaceful withdrawal” of Russian forces.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly said Ukraine would never recognize Russia’s sovereignty over its conquered regions and rejected Moscow’s other demands, such as the pledge to abandon Kyiv’s ambition to join NATO.
“Witkoff doesn’t know what he's talking about,” BILD quoted one Ukrainian official as saying, an assessment reportedly shared by representatives of the German government.
In a recent conference call between Witkoff, State Secretary Marco Rubio, and Vice President JD Vance and European representatives, the special envoy was clearly out of his depth, the outlet wrote.
BILD reports that the Europeans found the envoy’s statement about his conversation with Putin “confusing,” and Witkoff seemed “overwhelmed and incompetent” when discussing territorial issues.
Witkoff, a real estate billionaire, had no diplomatic experience before being appointed by Trump to serve as his special envoy for the Middle East, but was subsequently tasked with seeking a ceasefire in Ukraine, and met with Putin several times.
Trump and Putin are scheduled to meet in person to discuss the peace terms in the Ukraine war on August 15 in Alaska. This will be the the first time they meet in person since the U.S. president began his second term in January.
BILD
Looks like the US lied again but it was enough to alarm Ukraine and the EU. Any agreement with a non-binding offer is not worth wasting time on. |
