Ukraine and Russia are increasingly frustrated with US special envoy Steve Witkoff’s role in the US-mediated peace process, while US President Donald Trump remains reluctant to remove him.
Axar.az reports, citing Kyiv Independent, that several efforts are underway to sideline Witkoff and weaken his close relationship with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Ukrainian officials say Washington has offered few new ideas and has shown limited willingness to increase pressure on Moscow.
The Kyiv Independent also reported that some Russian officials increasingly blame Witkoff for diplomatic setbacks and believe he failed to accurately convey Moscow’s positions to Trump.
One issue involved last year’s Alaska summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to people familiar with the negotiations, Witkoff misunderstood Putin’s position on territorial concessions and later conveyed it to Trump in a way that suggested Moscow was prepared to make concessions it was not actually ready to offer.
The report also said Witkoff and Dmitriev had worked on a 28-point memorandum that later collapsed. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly rejected the report as “fake news nonsense” and defended Witkoff’s role, saying he and Trump were working hard to end the conflict.
For now, Witkoff remains involved in the negotiations. The report said Kyiv wants Washington to put greater pressure on Moscow, while Moscow increasingly questions whether Witkoff accurately represents its positions to Trump.
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Source: en.axar.az
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