Topline
The Trump administration’s envoy handling the Russia-Ukraine conflict downplayed concerns about Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday—suggesting the Kremlin leader doesn’t want to “take all of Europe” and isn’t a “tyrant”—as the White House gears up for talks Sunday and Monday in Saudi Arabia to reach a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and President Donald Trump shake hands before a meeting in … More
Key Facts
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who’s been handling the Trump administration’s work on the Russia-Ukraine war, said on “Fox News Sunday” that he doesn’t believe concerns by Putin critics that the Kremlin is aiming to make bigger incursions into Europe.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned Putin could try to invade more areas of Europe if Russia isn’t stopped in Ukraine and the U.S. pulls out of NATO—starting with countries closer to Russia that were formerly part of the Soviet Union—and a sticking point in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine has been what happens to Ukrainian regions that Putin seized during the war.
“I just don’t see that [Putin] wants to take all of Europe,” Witkoff said on “Fox News Sunday” when asked why Putin wouldn’t push further if he succeeds in keeping Russian control over areas of Ukraine, claiming he feels the Kremlin leader is solely focused on the regions of Ukraine that Russia has now claimed.
Witkoff said he takes the Russian president “at his word” when it comes to trusting Putin doesn’t want to invade other parts of Europe, also claiming it “sort of doesn’t matter,” because the issue is still hypothetical and not material to the immediate negotiations.
Witkoff also downplayed broader concerns about Putin being a “tyrant,” saying when asked about how the Russian leader has been characterized, “I’ve never, ever seen a situation where there isn’t two sides to a story … there are grievances on both sides.”
What To Watch For
The Trump administration is expected to begin discussions with leading Ukrainian officials Sunday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, before meeting Monday with the Russian government. The U.S. is aiming to broker a 30-day ceasefire so that a broader truce can be reached, Witkoff has previously said, with The New York Times noting the negotiations are largely expected to focus on technical issues involving energy and shipping. “I think you’ll see … a lot more progress get announced after Monday,” Witkoff said Sunday on Fox.
What Territory Has Russia Seized?
Russia has illegally annexed the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson, along with Crimea, which Moscow annexed before the war in 2014. Russia now occupies approximately 20% of Ukraine, according to the Center for Preventative Action, largely eastern parts of the country, and Putin has not yet shown any willingness to cede those regions as part of a ceasefire agreement. Putin has tried to legitimize Russian control of those areas, holding referendums in 2022 designed to show public support for Russian rule there. The referendums showed voters supporting being controlled by Russia, but the votes have been decried as “shams” manipulated by the Kremlin.
What Has Zelenskyy Said?
Zelenskyy has made bold claims about Putin wanting to go further into Europe, arguing in a February interview with “Meet the Press” that if the Trump administration were to pull the U.S. out of NATO, “The risk that Russia will occupy Europe is 100%.” The Ukrainian president has suggested Russia is establishing a military presence near the border of Belarus that’s similar to what was seen prior to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskyy has also been vocal about concerns that Putin will violate any ceasefire agreement that’s reached, as the Russian leader has done in the past, and has asked for U.S. military support in the event of a ceasefire, in order to prevent any future invasions. The Ukrainian leader noted in a recent Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance that in 2019, Ukraine and Russia reached a ceasefire agreement, but “after that [Putin] broke the ceasefire, he killed our people and he didn’t exchange prisoners”—comments that ultimately led to the meeting devolving into a shouting match.
Key Background
The Trump administration has been working for weeks to try and negotiate an agreement in the Ukraine-Russia war, despite Trump’s previous claims he could end the conflict in 24 hours. Trump has long faced accusations about being aligned with Putin, with an investigation in his first term centering on whether his campaign colluded with the Kremlin. Trump has long drawn criticism for his praise of Putin and his strongman leadership, referring to the Russian president in 2022 as a “genius.” Witkoff’s comments Sunday come after the Trump envoy previously spoke favorably about Putin in an interview published Saturday with ex-Fox host Tucker Carlson, in which Witkoff recounted meeting with the Russian leader and said he was “gracious.” Witkoff described how Putin commissioned a portrait of Trump by a Russian painter, and said the Russian leader told him he had “prayed for” Trump after the assassination attempt on him over the summer, claiming Putin was “praying for his friend.” “I don’t regard Putin as a bad guy,” Witkoff said, calling the war with Ukraine a “complicated situation.”
Further Reading
