“A few missiles won’t change the situation”: Witkoff advised Ukraine to ask for tariff waivers instead of Tomahawk
Фото: Reuters
US Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff allegedly persuaded Ukrainian officials to ask the United States for zero tariffs in exchange for Tomahawk missiles, according to sources. The offer was made in October, when the White House was considering transferring the missiles to Ukraine.
This is reported byThe Wall Street Journal .
In October, US President Donald Trump came close to deciding to provide Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles. However, after a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin and during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington, his position changed.
According to sources, Steve Witkoff then began to convince the Ukrainian side that the United States could offer another option. He argued that Ukraine would not achieve significant results with the help of “a few missiles.”
“A few missiles still won’t be enough to produce significant results,” Witkoff said, according to sources.
Instead of missiles, he suggested that the Ukrainian side ask Trump for a 10-year exemption from tariffs on Ukrainian goods in the United States. In his opinion, this would be a “good stimulus” for the Ukrainian economy.
Journalists note that even if such a proposal were to take place, its economic effect would be limited. The United States ranks 16th among Ukrainian export markets, and the share of Ukrainian goods supplied to the United States is about 2%. Therefore, the zeroing of tariffs would not have a significant impact on the Ukrainian economy.
As reported by “Pryamiy”, in October 2025, US Special Representative Steve Witkoff held talks with Russian officials , during which he discussed how to promote a peace initiative for President Donald Trump. Information about the content of the conversation caused a sharp reaction in the American political environment and Congress.
During a conversation with Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, Witkoff suggested creating a “20-point peace plan similar to the one in Gaza.” He also suggested arranging a phone call between Trump and Putin before Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.
The released recordings of Trump’s special representative, Stephen Witkoff, and Russian officialshave sparked a flurry of criticism in Western media . Journalists call the situation shocking and draw attention to Witkoff’s blatant misunderstanding of the Kremlin’s goals.
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