Vitkov doesn't understand the essence of the war against Ukraine – Politico

The diplomatic activities of the US Special Envoy Steve Whitcoff led to repeated misunderstandings with Russia and left a promise from the leader of the United States. Donald Trump a swift end to the Russian-Ukrainian war is unrealistic. This was stated...reports Politico, citing several unnamed American, Ukrainian, and European officials.

It is noted that Vitkov met with the Russian dictator. By Vladimir Putin five times in six months, but he has not yet managed to turn this into a breakthrough for peace in Ukraine.

Politico emphasizes that there were many obstacles to the Anchorage summit yielding results, the main one being Putin's unwillingness to make significant concessions to end the war against Ukraine.

However, a large number of the publication's sources familiar with Witkopf's role in the peace process believe that he complicated the negotiations.

According to them, part of the problem lies in the style of Trump's special envoy. He refused to consult with experts and allies, which sometimes left him uninformed, and sometimes unprepared, according to seven people familiar with internal discussions.

Two of them said that he does not understand the essence of the Russian-Ukrainian war, considering it as a territorial dispute.

"His inexperience is obvious, he has the president's favor, which is obvious, but there has been some confusion about what was said and agreed upon," said a source familiar with the diplomatic efforts.

Another source told the publication that Witkopf was a "fraudulent actor".

"He talks to all these people, but nobody knows what he says at any of these meetings. He says something publicly, but then he changes his mind. It's hard to make that happen," said an unnamed U.S. official.

On the other hand, some Politico interviewees spoke positively about Trump's special envoy's activities, stating that the facts of Trump's meeting with Putin in Anchorage and with European leaders and the president... by Volodymyr Zelenskyy In Washington, things "speak for themselves."

• On August 25, it was reported that a meeting will take place between the American and Ukrainian teams regarding preparations for possible negotiations between Zelenskyy and the Russian dictator.
• On August 27, Zelenskyy stated that Yermak will go to the USA and Umєrov. During the week, they held a series of meetings in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Switzerland.
• On August 29, the Head of the Office of the President, Andriy Yermak, and the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Serhiy Kyslytsia, met in New York with Witkopf.