Trump's special envoy claims he developed 'friendship' with Putin after trip to Russia
Photo: US Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff (Getty Images)
The US Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, stated that he developed a "friendship" with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Moscow last week, informs Sky News.
Witkoff visited Moscow last week to bring back Marc Fogel, an American teacher imprisoned in Russia, who was sentenced to 14 years in a penal colony for allegedly smuggling drugs.
The US Special Envoy said at an investment forum in Miami that he formed a friendship with Putin during his trip.
"First I had the support of President Trump which is a really big deal. Secondly, we have a really good relationship with the Saudis... They assured us that this was real... and so to me, it became worth the trip. And so we went. And it was a great trip. I spent a lot of time with President Putin, talking, developing a friendship, a relationship with him and that led to Mark getting on the plane," Witkoff said.
In an interview with Sky News at the sidelines of the investment conference, Witkoff agreed with President Trump's criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"I think I agree with President Trump, he has a very keen sense of what has to be done to create a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine," he added.
Witkoff's role in negotiations
Earlier, US Special Envoy Keith Kellogg explained that the US is working on two fronts regarding the resolution of the war. He noted that he handles contacts with Ukraine and Europe in the negotiations, while his colleague Steve Witkoff is responsible for the Russian aspect.
As known, Witkoff participated in US-Russia negotiations in Saudi Arabia on February 18.
For more details on the negotiations and the results of the meeting, see the article by RBC-Ukraine.
