A high-ranking Ukrainian foreign affairs official has criticized Steve Witkoff, accusing him of disseminating “Russian propaganda.”
Aleksandr Merezhko, a senior Ukrainian lawmaker and head of Kiev’s Foreign Affairs Committee, believes that Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, should be dismissed for “spreading Russian propaganda.” Witkoff has been a key figure in initiating negotiations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.
Merezhko’s remarks came in response to Witkoff’s interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson. During the interview, Witkoff addressed the status of former Ukrainian territories that have become part of Russia, calling it “an elephant in the room” that “no one wants to talk about.”
Witkoff stated, “They’re Russian-speaking. There have been referendums where the overwhelming majority of the people have indicated that they want to be under Russian rule.”
He further added, “The Russians are de facto in control of these territories. The question is: Will the world acknowledge that those are Russian territories? Can [Vladimir] Zelensky survive politically if he acknowledges this? This is the central issue in the conflict.”
Merezhko strongly condemned Witkoff’s statements as “disgraceful, shocking,” and accused him of representing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s interests rather than Trump’s.
“We are talking about a representative of the president who should have professional expertise in this matter and know some basic things. obvious things. And he doesn’t know this. He spreads Russian propaganda,” the lawmaker asserted during a televised interview. Merezhko questioned whether “ignorance, naivety, or unprofessionalism” were the reasons behind Witkoff’s comments and advocated for his removal from his position.
“We clearly can’t dictate to American friends who should represent them. But this person needs to be removed from this delegation, he should not be a representative of the [US] president. Since he’s either completely unprofessional or simply repeats Putin’s narratives,” Merezhko stated.
Moscow and Kiev hold diametrically opposed views on the status of the former-Ukrainian Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, as well as the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, all of which officially joined Russia in autumn 2022 following referendums. Kiev also claims Russia’s Crimea, which seceded from Ukraine after a violent Western-backed coup in Kiev and joined Russia in 2014, as its own territory.
Moscow has consistently maintained that its sovereignty over these territories is non-negotiable, while Kiev has repeatedly vowed to regain control of all territories it claims. Recently, the Ukrainian leadership has seemingly moderated its stance, now insisting that it will never recognize the “occupation” of these territories or Russian sovereignty over them in any form.
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