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donald trump said that his Top negotiator in Ukraine peace talks “knows nothing about Russia” Before he was tasked with finding an end to the war.
US President openly praised his diplomats hanukkah celebration speech white House like on tuesday US and Ukrainian delegations conclude latest round of peace talks in Europe.
Trump targeted his son-in-law jared kushner and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff earlier this year, in praise of his work on the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. He was sent to lead negotiations with Ukraine,
“Steve is a great dealmaker… He was a real estate guy in New York. He knew less about rivers and coasts and borders and Russia And he is working at different places. He didn’t know anything about it,” the US President said.
“But I recognized – over the 20 years I’ve been dealing with everybody in New York – I said, ‘Steve has the best personality’… I said, ‘Everybody loves Steve. He’s a great dealmaker, but everybody loves him.’ And that’s what it turned out to be.”
Mr Witkoff, 68, was brought in this year as Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East and oversaw the October 10 ceasefire in Gaza before assuming the role of de facto envoy to Russia. In June he was made ‘Special Envoy for Peacekeeping Missions’ before expanding his scope to the war in Ukraine.
The developer, who had no prior diplomatic experience, faced criticism from American, Ukrainian and European officials for refusing to consult experts. People familiar with the negotiations earlier this year said political He viewed the conflict “like a land dispute, through a real estate lens.”
Washington and Kiev have been holding intermittent peace talks for months, most recently working to revise a US-drafted 28-point plan that was widely seen as favorable to Russia. Both sides emerged optimistic from talks in Berlin this week, but territorial concessions remain a sticking point.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky came away from the discussion to warn that the “viable” revised plan was still only a “first draft”, and challenges still remained to be resolved. He has consistently said that he will not cede land to Russia, as doing so is prohibited under the Ukrainian constitution.
the officials told AFP The news agency says the US team was still insisting that Ukraine should give up its Donbass region in the east to end the war.
Mr Witkoff came under investigation last month his tape was leaked Appearing to train Vladimir Putin’s senior aide Yuri Ushakov on how to negotiate in Russia’s interests.
A transcript of the call leaked bloomberg It was revealed that Mr Witkoff asked Ushakov to ensure the Russian leader congratulated the US President after he announced the Gaza deal, insisting that the praise would ensure their discussion would be “a really good call”.