Trump-Putin summit could have been triggered by Witkoff's misunderstanding, but White House denies - report

A misunderstanding by US President's special envoy Steve Witkoff of Russia's position on a possible ceasefire in Ukraine after talks with Kremlin head Vladimir Putin, officials suggest, could have prompted the hastily organized summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, but the White House denies it, NBC News reports, writes UNN.

Details

According to a European official and two former American officials, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff's misunderstanding of Russia's position on Ukraine may have served as the initial impetus for the hastily organized summit on Friday between US President Donald Trump and Kremlin head Vladimir Putin.

Supporters of Ukraine have long believed that Putin took advantage of Witkoff's inexperience in high-level diplomacy. In this case, according to European governments, Witkoff may have misunderstood Russia's position on a possible ceasefire in Ukraine after talks with Putin, and then, according to sources, presented an inaccurate picture to European allies and Ukraine.

Witkoff left thinking that Russia was proposing a "peaceful withdrawal" of its troops from two regions of Ukraine, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. However, in reality, Putin demanded that Ukraine withdraw its troops from these regions, sources said.

The German newspaper Bild first reported last weekend on the possible distortion of information conveyed by Witkoff.

Trump's special envoy Witkoff misunderstood Putin - Bild09.08.25, 12:42 • 80894 views

White House press secretary Anna Kelly denied this information.

"This is fake news," Kelly said in an email to NBC News. "The weak administration of Joe Biden did not understand foreign policy and allowed Russia to invade Ukraine."

She added: "Steve Witkoff clearly understands all aspects, and he and President Trump are working to achieve peace with a full and accurate understanding of all factors at play."

Addition

The summit between US President Donald Trump and Kremlin head Vladimir Putin on August 15 in Alaska did not result in any agreement on resolving or suspending Moscow's war in Ukraine, although both leaders called the talks productive before leaving for home.

During a brief address to the media after a nearly three-hour meeting in Alaska on Friday, the two leaders said they had made progress on unspecified issues. But they, as Reuters notes, provided no details and did not answer questions, and the usually talkative Trump ignored journalists' shouts.