Witkoff reacts to Western leaders' claims about Putin's refusal to end the war
Photo: US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (Getty Images)
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, in an interview with CBS News, stated that he disagrees with the statements made by Western leaders regarding Russia's unwillingness to end the war in Ukraine. He believes there are positive trends that could lead to a peace agreement in the near future.
Witkoff was asked about French President Emmanuel Macron's public remarks, in which he stated that, in his view, Russia is insincere about wanting peace and is escalating the fighting. The special envoy did not comment on the French leader's words but called them "regrettable."
"I think it's unfortunate when people make those sort of assessments, and they don't have, necessarily, firsthand knowledge. But I'm not going to comment on what he said because I don't know what he said," Witkoff stated.
Instead, he shared what he had heard and seen during negotiations with Russia. According to the special envoy, he "witnessed constructive efforts over a long period of time" to discuss the specifics of the Russia-Ukraine war.
"There's a 2,000-kilometer border between these two countries, and they are facing- shooting each other and facing each other across that 2,000-mile border. That's a very, very, complicated ceasefire, and yet everybody is committed to having that discussion," the special envoy noted.
He added that the US-Russia meeting in Saudi Arabia and his recent visit to Moscow had brought "a lot of positivity."
"I think those are all very, very good trends, and hopefully inform on the possibility of a near-term peace agreement," Witkoff emphasized.
When asked what, beyond a ceasefire, is being discussed as part of a potential peace agreement, Witkoff confirmed that territorial issues are also on the table.
"There are regions that we all know the Russians are focused on. There is a nuclear reactor that supplies Ukraine with quite a bit of electricity. That's got to be dealt with. There's access to ports. There's the Black Sea potential agreement... There are so many elements to the implementation of a ceasefire here, and I sometimes compare it to Gaza. So this is a much more complicated situation, and yet no one is throwing their hands up in the air," Witkoff concluded.
He stressed that all interested parties, including Europeans, are determined to do everything necessary to successfully achieve peace in Ukraine.
Witkoff’s visit to Moscow
On March 13, Witkoff was sent to Moscow to deliver the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire to Russian leader Vladimir Putin. This was Witkoff’s second visit to Russia.
According to Western media, the special envoy had to wait eight hours for a meeting with Putin, who, in the meantime, was meeting with Belarusian self-proclaimed leader Alexander Lukashenko.
The visit was scheduled after US-Ukrainian talks in Saudi Arabia on March 11. During those talks, the 30-day ceasefire on the frontlines in Ukraine was agreed upon. The US also resumed military aid deliveries and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
