Witkoff: Peace in Ukraine cannot be achieved without direct talks with Putin
U.S. Special Representative Steve Witkoff has stated that ending the Russia–Ukraine war is impossible without direct contact between Washington and Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin.
He stated this in an interview with Breitbart News, according to Censor.NET.
Witkoff responded to criticism regarding his frequent personal meetings with Putin, with some accusing him of engaging with the Russian leader alone when he "shouldn’t be meeting with such people."
According to him, President Trump favors a proactive approach, which is why he tasked Witkoff with engaging directly with Putin in an effort to "find a better solution."
"There were no third parties invited to my meetings with Vladimir Putin. Should I have told him, ‘I don’t want to start a dialogue with you, I don’t want to have a relationship with you’? Biden hasn’t spoken with him for three and a half years. On the President`s (Trump - ed) instruction, I had the opportunity to establish contact with President Putin. He is the central figure in this conflict. If we’re not talking to him, how do we expect to reach a settlement? That’s simply impossible. So the idea that we shouldn’t talk to him is absurd — or that my ability to talk to him should depend on whether I can bring a translator or others along. I didn’t need anyone there. In fact, it worked better when I was there alone," Whitkoff explained.
Earlier, Witkoff stated that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin sees, for the first time in decades, an opportunity to recalibrate relations with the United States.
