White House disappointed with Witkoff’s approach to talks with Russia - New York Post
Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has caused disappointment among members of the White House administration because of his approach to negotiations with Russia.
This is reported by the New York Post, Censor.NET reports.
The publication notes that Vitkoff has actually become Trump's personal ambassador to Putin in addition to handling affairs in the Middle East. He participates in high-level meetings alone.
"And he is said to have even used Kremlin interpreters on occasion, in violation of long-standing diplomatic procedure," the article says.
On the eve of his meeting with Putin last Friday, he greeted the dictator as an old friend, without any hint of the usual circle of advisers, experts, and military officers who usually accompany US officials to talks.
"Putin did not attend Friday's meeting alone, but was accompanied by aide Yuriy Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, head of Moscow's sovereign wealth fund," the newspaper notes.
"A good guy, but a clumsy, bloody idiot. He shouldn't be doing this alone," said a member of Trump's first administration.
Trump already had a special representative for Russia's war against Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg. However, in mid-March, Kellogg's position was changed from "special envoy for Ukraine and Russia" to "special envoy for Ukraine."
In return, Witkoff was authorized to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine with Moscow.
Kellogg's work proved fruitful, the newspaper writes. He got Ukraine to support the ceasefire and worked out an agreement on minerals.
But having separate negotiators on each side proved difficult to balance.
