Witkoff under fire: US politicians call him a Russian agent
Фото: Reuters
In October, US Special Representative Steve Witkoff held talks with Russian officials to discuss how to advance a peace initiative for President Donald Trump. The content of the conversation sparked a sharp reaction in American politics and Congress.
This is reported by Bloomberg.
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.
According to Bloomberg, during another call, Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev discussed how to convey to the Trump administration a document with Russia’s demands for ending the war in Ukraine, so that the Americans could later present it as their own peace plan.
US House of Representatives member Ted Lew described Witkoff’s actions as treason and wrote on social media X:
“A true traitor. Witkoff should serve the US, not Russia.”
Congressman Dan Bacon called for his dismissal and accused Witkoff of acting in favor of Russia:
“For those who support Ukraine’s sovereignty and seek its democratic development, it is obvious that Witkoff is acting in Russia’s interests. He cannot be trusted with negotiations. Would an agent of another state do less?”
Republican Brian Fitzpatrick called the call a serious problem and called for an end to the secret meetings:
“This is one of the reasons why these senseless secret negotiations need to stop. Let’s let Secretary of State Marco Rubio do his job honestly.”
Former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul expressed surprise at the call and stressed the importance of protecting national interests:
“Everyone working in the US national security sphere must advance the country’s interests, not Putin or his imperial ambitions.”
Donald Trump himself described Witkoff’s call as a typical negotiation format:
“It’s the art of negotiating. You have to convince your opponent. I haven’t heard the recording, but I was told that these are normal negotiations, similar to those that took place with the Ukrainians.”
Ushakov, in turn, stated that he regularly communicates with Vitkoff and does not comment on closed negotiations.
Recall that Donald Trump’s special representative Steve Witkoff gave Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov advice on how to properly present the Kremlin’s proposals for a possible settlement of the war in Ukraine to the American leader . Moreover, according to some indications, the peace plan itself could have been of Russian origin.
As reported,the released recordings of Trump’s special representative Stephen Witkoff’s conversation with Russian officials have caused a flurry of criticism in Western media . Journalists call the situation shocking and draw attention to Witkoff’s frank misunderstanding of the Kremlin’s goals.
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