Trump envoy faces backlash over defending Russia’s sham referendum in Ukrainian regions
- 24 March, 06:28
Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s envoy and lead negotiator in war in Ukraine, has sparked criticism for defending Russia’s illegal annexation of four Ukrainian regions.
In an interview for the Tucker Carlson Show on Friday, Witkoff said the sham elections staged in Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in 2022 were legitimate. Russia annexed these four regions after the referendum.
"They are Russian-speaking, and there have been referendums where the overwhelming majority of the people have indicated that they want to be under Russian rule," the US negotiator said. While repeating Russia’s talking points on the conflict, Witkoff did not mention the fact that the elections held in the above-mentioned four regions in 2022 as well as in Crimea Peninsula in 2014 have not been recognized by the international community. Witkoff also spoke warmly about Russian President Vladimir Putin."This is the kind of connection that we've been able to reestablish through a simple word called communication, which many people would say I shouldn't have had because Putin is a bad guy. I don't regard Putin as a bad guy," he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zeleskiy said Witkoff’s comments “are very much in line with the messages of the Kremlin”. He added that he hoped that over time Witkoff and others in the White House would gradually come to see that the Russian leadership was insincere.
Witkoff’s comments attracted criticism among Ukraine’s Western partners as well. "Witkoff's repeating of Kremlin lies about 'Russian-speakers' wanting to 'join Russia' is truly chilling. Hearing Americans talk like this should be an electric shock for Europe, not a wakeup call,” Lithuania's former foreign minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, wrote on X.
The controversial remarks came a day before a new round of negotiations between the US and Russia in Saudi Arabia aimed at making progress toward ending the war.
