Trump administration insiders are growing increasingly concerned over special envoy Steve Witkoffs solo meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the New York Post reported Wednesday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.Witkoff, a former real estate attorney and investor known as a fierce negotiator, has reportedly met with Putin four times since February without experienced diplomatic advisers or vetted interpreters, breaking with longstanding United States diplomatic protocol.During their latest meeting last Friday at the Kremlin, Putin was joined by senior aide Yury Ushakov and Russian Direct Investment Fund head Kirill Dmitriyev.
In a Kremlin video of that meeting, Witkoff can be heardasking if the one person sitting on his side of the table for discussions was from the embassy.Initially appointed Middle East special envoy after Trump took office in January, Witkoff has since taken on an expanded role as ambassador-at-large, tasked with negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine.His direct, unsupervised diplomacy has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and some Russian state media outlets have accused or praised Witkoff for echoing the Kremlins messaging.Others have pointed to Witkoffs unfamiliarity with the identities and backgrounds of interpreters present during his meetings with Putin.Nice guy, but a bumbling f***king idiot he should not be doing this alone, NYP quoted a Trump administration official as saying.Retired Army General Keith Kellogg, who was first named special envoy for the Russia-Ukraine war, has been reassigned as special envoy for Ukraine only, leaving the two top United States negotiators with limited insight into each others discussions, thetabloidreported.If Trump finally got serious about mediating an end to the war in Ukraine, he would appoint one person to talk to both sides shuttle diplomacy and preferably someone with some experience in diplomacy, formerUnited States Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul wrote on X.
Witkoff acts as a mailman for Putin.
He is not negotiating anything.Following Witkoffs most recent visit to Moscow and warnings from the State Department that the United States could pull back from its mediation role in peace talks, Putin proposed a 72-hour ceasefire to coincide with Russias May 9 Victory Day holiday.Both Ukraine and the White House dismissed the idea, urging the Kremlin to accept a 30-day ceasefire deal that United States officials first proposed following discussions in March.
Putin rejected that proposal.