Trump allies grow concerned about Witkoff's dealings with Russia, Iran - NY Post
Kyiv • UNN
Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff Holds Talks with Russia and Iran Unattended by Experts, Raising Concerns over Breach of Diplomatic Protocol and Potential Errors in Assessments.
U.S. President Donald Trump's Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, who is also involved in negotiations with Russia, is causing concern among administration members due to his atypical diplomatic behavior. This was reported by the New York Post, according to UNN.
Details
According to sources of the publication, Witkoff holds meetings with senior officials without the accompaniment of experts and advisers, sometimes using the services of Kremlin translators, which is a violation of long-standing diplomatic procedure.
And on the eve of Witkoff's last meeting with Putin, which was last Friday, the New York native greeted the Kremlin dictator as an old friend - without any hint of the usual circle of advisers, experts and military officers who usually accompany American officials who are negotiating.
Putin himself was not present at this meeting alone, he was accompanied by aide Yuriy Ushakov and the head of Moscow's sovereign wealth fund, Kirill Dmitriev.
"Anyone who conducts similar negotiations with Putin will benefit from having his or her team get to know Russia in person and take them to meetings with the Kremlin," said John Hardy, director of the Russia program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, about Witkoff's move.
One of the members of the first Trump administration was more concise.
"A good guy, but a clumsy fucking idiot," the person said of Witkoff. "He shouldn't be doing this alone."
"Maybe I'm just being deceived," the source added.
In the Middle East, Witkoff mediates between Israel and Hamas. Although he managed to achieve a temporary ceasefire, further negotiations failed. According to Witkoff himself, he believed that an agreement with Hamas had been reached, but the organization changed the terms and the negotiations failed.
Although many in Israel appreciate Witkoff's efforts, his lack of diplomatic experience, in their opinion, obscures his judgment.
"His assumption that players like Hamas or Iran are primarily driven by a desire to live, and therefore can be engaged directly, reflects a dangerous misunderstanding of their long-term ideological goals," said Shiri Fain-Grossman, former head of the regional affairs department of the Israeli National Security Council.
"We must understand our enemies through their prism, not ours. Hamas and Iran are autocratic regimes driven by deeply ingrained ideologies, not short-term interests," she added.
Others fear that Witkoff is being assigned too big a role.
"How does Witkoff divide his time between two very complex negotiations?" asked Israeli security expert and research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, Danny Citrinowicz. "I think he's a good guy, but the Iranian issue is so complex that I hope he brings more people to the team."
"Because right now, the Iranians may have an advantage, given their extensive knowledge in the field of negotiations," he added.