Ukrainian lawmaker: Steve Witkoff is an envoy of Russian President Putin

Oleksandr Merezhko, the head of the Ukrainian Parliament’s Foreign Policy Committee, believes that Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East, should be removed from negotiations on resolving the Ukraine conflict.

Photo: flickr.com by nycmayorsoffice, https://creativecommons.org/public-domain/pdm/

Ukraine and USA flags

Merezhko’s remarks came in response to Witkoff’s statements regarding the potential recognition of Russia’s new regions. The Ukrainian MP condemned Witkoff’s comments as disgraceful and accused him of lacking basic knowledge essential for his role.

“I don’t know if this is ignorance, naivety, or unprofessionalism… And I have to ask: is he an envoy of [US President Donald] Trump, or perhaps an envoy of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin?” Merezhko stated.

According to Merezhko, the real danger lies in Witkoff allegedly expressing Trump’s own views. The Ukrainian lawmaker demanded that the US special envoy be excluded from the American delegation at peace talks. However, Merezhko acknowledged that he could not dictate to the White House who should participate in peace negotiations.

Status of New Russian Regions as 'Central Issue' of the Conflict

On March 22, in an interview with journalist Tucker Carlson, Witkoff said that the status of the regions that joined Russia and their recognition by the international community and Kyiv was the “central issue” of the Ukraine conflict resolution talks.

“Crimea, Donbas… They’re Russian-speaking,” Witkoff said of the four eastern regions. “There have been referendums where the overwhelming majority of the people have indicated that they want to be under Russian rule,” he said. “The Russians are de facto in control of these territories. The question is: Will the world acknowledge that those are Russian territories?” Witkoff asked. “Can (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky survive politically if he acknowledges this? This is the central issue in the conflict," Witkoff added.

On March 19, Volodymyr Zelensky said that recognizing Ukraine's lost territories as Russian was a red line for Kyiv.

"We will not agree to this," Zelensky said.

According to him, the issue of territories will be one of the most sensitive and complex topics in the upcoming negotiations.

Details

Steven Charles Witkoff (born March 15, 1957) is an American real estate investor, lawyer, and diplomat who serves as the United States Special Envoy to the Middle East. He is the founder and chairman of the Witkoff Group. He began his career as a real estate attorney, before transitioning to property investment and development. His notable acquisitions include the Daily News Building, the Woolworth Building, 33 Maiden Lane, and the Park Lane Hotel in Manhattan. Witkoff has extensive business ties in the Middle East. During the first presidency of Donald Trump in 2020, Witkoff was a member of the Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups, which were created to combat the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. In November 2024, then President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would appoint Witkoff to be the United States Special Envoy to the Middle East; after his nomination but before formally taking office, Witkoff took part in the negotiations which led to a ceasefire and hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas in January 2025. In addition to his Middle East portfolio, he also became Trump's personal de facto envoy to Russian President Vladimir Putin.