A Ukrainian politician and member of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s party has called on President Donald J. Trump to fire Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, complaining that Witkoff uses Russian narratives. Oleksandr Merezkho, a member of Zelensky’s Servant of the People Party, has even claimed that Witkoff may be an agent of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Merezkho’s criticism comes after Witkoff participated in an interview with Tucker Carlson, asking if Witkoff’s comments on the Ukraine war were from “ignorance, naivety, unprofessionalism” or whether he may be an agent of Putin.
“Of course, we cannot dictate to our American friends who should represent them, but this person should be removed from this delegation; he should not be the President’s representative. Because he is either completely unprofessional or simply repeats Putin’s narratives,” the Ukrainian alleged.
Witkoff told Carlson that he wanted to put himself in Russia’s shoes to create a deal to end the conflict, saying, “A good deal has to work for everybody.” He also spoke of the referendums held in Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia, which has led to Russia claiming those areas as part of the Russian Federation, without criticism.
President Trump and President Putin agreed to partial ceasefire terms earlier this month, which included an agreement not to attack energy infrastructure. However, Russia claimed that Ukraine had broken the agreement just hours after it had been agreed upon.
