Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, publicly criticized Keir Starmer's plan to establish an international force to support a ceasefire in Ukraine, calling it "a gesture and a photo op." Witkoff's remarks have sparked widespread attention and raised questions about Starmer's proposal. This critique underscores the complex geopolitical landscape surrounding the conflict.
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03-29, 2025In an interview with pro-Trump journalist Tucker Carlson, Witkoff stated that Starmer's idea is based on an "oversimplified" notion that the British Prime Minister and other European leaders believe "we all have to be Winston Churchill." He also expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he "likes" Putin and thinks he is "very smart." These comments have ignited controversy and further fueled debate.
Witkoff revealed that he met with Putin ten days ago and described Putin as "polite" and "candid" with him. According to Witkoff, Putin told him that he prayed for Trump after the assassination attempt against Trump last year. He also said that Putin had commissioned a portrait of the American president as a gift, which Trump was "obviously touched" by. This personal connection adds another layer to the complex relationship.
During the interview, Witkoff repeated several Russian viewpoints, including that Ukraine is a "fake country," and questioned when the world would acknowledge that the occupied Ukrainian territories belong to Russia. Despite leading US ceasefire negotiations with Russia and Ukraine, Witkoff failed to name the five Ukrainian regions annexed or partially occupied by Russian forces. This omission raises concerns about his understanding of the situation.
Witkoff also made several unverified or disputed assertions, such as claiming that Ukrainian forces were surrounded in Kursk (denied by the Ukrainian government), and that "referendums" were held in four partially occupied regions of Ukraine where "the vast majority said they wanted to be under Russian rule." Furthermore, he stated that all four partially occupied states speak Russian, but this claim does not represent local people's support for Russia. These claims have been widely challenged and criticized.
Witkoff also repeated the Kremlin's argument for the reason for Russia's full-scale invasion. He stated that, from the Russian perspective, it is "correct" that the partially occupied territories are now part of Russia. He added that Russia believes these five regions should have belonged to them since World War II, but no one wants to talk about it. Putin has repeatedly stated that the "root cause" of his invasion is the threat posed to Russia by NATO expansion and the existence of Ukraine as an independent nation. This highlights the fundamental differences in perspective.
In the Tucker Carlson interview, Witkoff said: "Why would they want to annex Ukraine? What's the purpose? They don't need to annex Ukraine... They've taken back these five regions. They have Crimea, and they've gotten what they wanted. So why would they need more?" This statement reflects a particular viewpoint on Russia's strategic objectives.
When asked about Keir Starmer's plan to create a "coalition of the willing" to provide military security guarantees for post-war Ukraine, Witkoff said: "I think it's a gesture, and it's a photo op, and it's oversimplified. There's this notion that we all have to be like (British wartime Prime Minister) Winston Churchill. The Russians are going to sweep across Europe. By the way, that's ridiculous. We have NATO, which we didn't have in World War II." He further emphasized the importance of existing security structures.
He stated that a ceasefire agreement in the Black Sea would be "implemented in the next week or so" and that "we're not 30 days away from a full ceasefire." He also detailed how Trump hopes to work with Russia after normalization of relations. "Who wouldn't want to see a world where Russia and the United States are doing good things together, thinking about how they integrate their energy policies in the Arctic, share shipping lanes, ship LNG together to Europe, or work together in the field of artificial intelligence?" This outlines a vision of potential future cooperation.
