Steve Witkoff’s Russia Referendum Claims Irks Ukraine: ‘In Putin’s Corner’
2 days ago
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President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, has been accused of repeating Kremlin rhetoric about the war it started, with one Ukrainian charity chief telling Newsweek he “is completely in Putin’s corner.”
Ahead of talks in Saudi Arabia about a ceasefire in Ukraine, Witkoff told broadcaster Tucker Carlson that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “super smart” and didn’t regard him as a “bad guy.”
He repeated Kremlin claims that referendums in the four Ukrainian regions claimed to have been seized by Moscow but do not fully control—Kherson, Zaporizhia, Luhansk and Donetsk—showed most there wanted to be under Russian rule. In 2022, the U.S. State Department denounced the referendums there as sham ballots.
Yuriy Boyechko, who founded Hope for Ukraine, a group that provides Ukrainians under Russian bombardment with essentials for survival, told Newsweek that Witkoff is repeating “almost word for word Russian demands.”
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment.
Why It Matters
A lot hinges on talks in Saudi Arabia, where Washington’s negotiators will hold separate talks with Ukrainian and Russian sides in the hope of ceasing hostilities. Witkoff’s comments have raised concerns among Ukraine’s allies that the United States will try to push a deal that serves Putin’s interests.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff speaks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House on March 6, 2025. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff speaks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House on March 6, 2025. MANDEL NGAN/Getty Images
What To Know
While speaking with Carlson, a media personality criticized for an interview with Putin in Moscow in February 2024, Witkoff uncritically amplified the Kremlin’s line on its invasion.
This included saying that Russia “100 percent” does not want to invade Europe and that it “does not need to absorb Ukraine.
The envoy also said that Russia “reclaimed” five regions in Ukraine—Crimea and Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson oblasts—and “will not want more.” He praised Putin as a “smart guy.”
Boyechko questioned how Witkoff could be an honest peace broker when he did not regard Putin as a “bad guy” despite targeting civilians and infrastructure and being subject to an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for crimes against humanity.
Boyechko said that Witkoff repeated “almost word for word” Russian demands that Russia wants Ukraine to surrender areas of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Boyechko added that Ukraine would never give up the four mainland regions Witkoff appeared to struggle to name and that the referendums there produced no legitimate expression of public voice.
He said the interview showed that Trump’s top negotiator is in Putin’s corner, and peace negotiations will now be between Ukraine and Russia without anyone backing Ukrainian interests in these talks except Ukraine itself.
Russian state newspapers also dissected Witkoff’s comments. Nezavisimaya Gazeta said the remarks showed that officials from Moscow and Washington were “speaking the same language” and that Witkoff’s comment that Europe has nothing to fear from Putin devalued many European Union and NATO decisions.
Meanwhile, the tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda reported that Putin gave Witkoff a painting of Trump to take back to Washington as a sign of the warming of ties between the countries.
What People Are Saying
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff: “There are constitutional issues within Ukraine as to what they can concede to with regard to giving up territory. The Russians are de facto in control of these territories. The question is, will the world acknowledge that those are Russian territories?”
Yuriy Boyechko, Hope for Ukraine CEO: “Steve Witkoff repeats almost word for word Russian demands that Russia wants Ukraine to surrender areas of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions that under Ukrainian control now.”
What Happens Next
There is hope that progress can be made in the talks held in Riyadh on Monday. A key sticking point is which areas of Ukrainian territory Russia can hold onto if there is a longer-term peace deal.
Kyiv has made it clear that while some land cannot yet be recaptured, it would never recognize Russian sovereignty over Ukrainian territory.
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