There is a long-standing rift between US President's Special Representative Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on how to end the war in Ukraine and how much the US should trust Russia's promises. This is reported by NBC News, citing several unnamed current and former US and European officials, according to UNN.
Details
It is noted that, in an effort to quickly conclude a "deal" as instructed by US President Donald Trump, Witkoff insisted on proposals that oblige Ukraine to make concessions, give up territories, and accept risks to its future security.
Rubio and some other administration officials advocate for increased economic and military pressure on Russia to force ... Putin to make concessions and guarantee a secure future for Ukraine, a view shared by America's European allies.
It is indicated that some current and former US officials have concerns about Witkoff that "go beyond his conduct of negotiations to end the war": he is considered "to have a careless approach to security, which raises fears that he may use unsecured communication channels that could make him vulnerable to eavesdropping on his conversations by foreign entities."
How the differences between Rubio and Witkoff play out could determine how the war in Ukraine ends and how America is perceived by its allies and adversaries.
At the same time, the White House assured journalists that Rubio and Witkoff are working in concert and jointly making efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Recall
White House envoy Steve Witkoff stated that talks in Miami, USA, with his Russian counterpart Kirill Dmitriev and Ukrainian national security adviser Rustem Umerov were "productive and constructive," but "discussions did not yield clear breakthroughs in ending the war."