Witkoff misunderstood Putin on concessions and Ukraine – Bild
Photo: Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and US presidential special representative Steve Witkoff (Getty Images)
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has not abandoned his ambitions to fully control the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, according to Bild.
According to the publication’s sources, the Kremlin is offering only a partial ceasefire — halting attacks on energy facilities and major cities in the rear — but not a comprehensive truce.
At the same time, the United States has proposed freezing the conflict along the current front line in exchange for significant sanctions relief and economic agreements with Russia.
According to Bild, the Kremlin rejected this option.
The situation was complicated by a mistake made by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who misunderstood Putin’s statements and took them as concessions.
In particular, Russia’s demand for the "peaceful withdrawal" of Ukrainian forces from Kherson and Zaporizhzhia was interpreted by Witkoff as the "peaceful withdrawal" of Russian troops from those regions.
"Witkoff doesn’t know what he’s talking about," a Ukrainian government official told BILD.
The publication notes that this assessment is also shared within the German government.
Conference with the EU
On the evening of July 7, a phone conference was held with Special Envoy Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President J.D. Vance, and European partners.
EU representatives expressed doubts about the unity of the US position, pointing to confusion in Witkoff's statements and his limited competence in territorial policy matters.
In addition, differences exist between Witkoff and Rubio over Europe’s role in the negotiations. While the Secretary of State insisted on active European involvement in the process, Vance and Witkoff wanted only to keep the EU informed about the Trump administration's next steps.
Trump on possible territorial exchanges
US President Donald Trump allowed for the idea of a territorial exchange between Russia and Ukraine.
He said the situation is complicated, but that negotiations would aim to return certain territories to Ukraine as well as exchange land to the benefit of both sides.
Trump also announced the date and location of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin — August 15 in Alaska.
According to CBS News, there is a possibility that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will join the Trump-Putin summit next week.
President Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine will not give up its territory to Russian occupiers.
