Summary
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, in a CNN interview with Jake Tapper, failed to specify any Russian concessions in a potential Ukraine peace deal despite detailing demands on Ukraine.
After claiming a “friendship” with Putin, Witkoff spoke vaguely about “territorial” and “economic” concessions from both sides. He also claimed a U.S.-Ukraine deal on raw earth minerals would be signed soon.
When confronted with Russian state TV footage suggesting Trump’s stance aligns with Putin’s, Witkoff insisted diplomacy requires communication.
His remarks fueled concerns over Trump’s approach to Russia and Ukraine.
That’s exactly my point. The present style of negotiations makes the impression like this was a deal between Russia and USA.
I’m not sure about that. The US Secretary of State met with Zelenskyy in Munich before meeting with Lavrov in Saudi Arabia. There was also a US envoy in Ukraine a couple days ago to conduct additional discussions with Zelenskyy.
For now, the US is playing a mediator role and talks to each side separately.
Let’s say that there is an honest, clear, standard diplomatic protocol running as you described. Trump’s concurrent activity, specifically mentioned in this interview, sets the tone and not in a positive way.
Yes, let’s wait and see what actually happens.