Witkoff Tiptoes Around Putin’s Role in Sabotaging Peace Talks
The special envoy to the Middle East also declined to say whether the U.S. would recognize Russian-occupied territories in a deal with Ukraine.
One of President Donald Trump’s top envoys chose his words carefully on Sunday in discussing Moscow’s evasiveness over a prospective peace deal with Ukraine.
“I don’t want to put words in President [Vladimir] Putin’s mouth,” said Steve Witkoff, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, on CNN’s State of the Union. He noted, however, that the Russian leader had signalled his willingness to accept a 30-day ceasefire.
Witkoff’s comments during the broadcast struck a sharp contrast with those from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who earlier this week said the ball is “now in Russia’s court” and that, if the proposed ceasefire falls through, “we’ll unfortunately know what the impediment is to peace.”
Witkoff, who on Thursday evening met with Putin for a four-hour summit in Moscow, also said he was not in a position to comment on whether the United States would recognize territories seized by Russia in a proposed peace deal.
“I don’t want to speak to that at this moment,” the envoy said. “I think it’s a little premature.”
Witkoff underscored Trump’s eagerness to see the discussions resolved as swiftly as possible, though. “As the president said, he really expects there to be some sort of deal in the coming weeks,” Witkoff added.
Since resuming office in January, Trump has pushed hard for a timely resolution to the conflict.
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But some commentators worry the Republican president is less interested in protecting Ukrainian interests than in claiming a swift diplomatic victory in a crisis he repeatedly accused his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, of prolonging needlessly.
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