Trump envoy argues refusing to talk to Putin illogical
(MENAFN) Senior U.S. negotiator Steve Witkoff has argued that isolating Russian President Vladimir Putin will not help resolve the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, calling such a strategy illogical. In an interview with Breitbart News published Monday, Witkoff criticized the West’s diplomatic efforts to marginalize Moscow since the war escalated in 2022, emphasizing the need to involve all key players in negotiations.
“We need to talk to every stakeholder involved,” Witkoff said, noting that any potential peace deal would require Putin’s approval. He questioned the logic behind opposing direct dialogue with the Russian leader, adding that sidelining him undermines any realistic path to peace.
The Trump administration’s position is that Russian and Ukrainian officials must meet face-to-face so the U.S. can demonstrate that the alternatives to peace are worse for all sides involved. Putin has recently repeated Moscow’s willingness to resume talks—suggesting Istanbul as the venue—after Ukraine abandoned negotiations in 2022.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has expressed conditional interest in attending talks but demands a 30-day ceasefire beforehand, a requirement Moscow has consistently rejected. Russian officials argue that such a pause would allow Ukrainian forces to regroup and restart hostilities.
Putin has proposed resuming talks as soon as Thursday, while Zelensky has said he’s willing to attend if Putin does as well. Witkoff stated that the U.S. might withdraw from its mediating role if no real progress is made, but warned this would be a negative outcome for all parties.
“If the U.S. steps back from this conflict, it's bad for the Europeans, bad for the Ukrainians, and even bad for the Russians,” he said, suggesting that Moscow is indeed open to a peaceful resolution.
Russia insists that any lasting agreement must address what it sees as the root causes of the war, including NATO's potential expansion into Ukraine and Kiev's alleged mistreatment of ethnic Russians.
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