Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, struggled to name a single concession Russian President Vladimir Putin will make in any potential deal to end his country’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” Witkoff spoke of his “friendship” with Putin following their meeting last week in Moscow and even suggested that Ukraine “provoked” Russia into invading their country.
Witkoff however, failed to give a straightforward answer when asked by host Jake Tapper about what specific demands the Trump administration is making of Putin to end the invasion he started.
“I think in any peace deal, each side is going to make concessions, whether it’s territorial concessions, whether it’s economic concessions,” he said. “I think there is a whole array of things that happen in a deal and you will see concessions on both sides.”
Witkoff did not list a single concession the Trump administration is asking the Russians to make and he was not pressed to do so by Tapper in the interview.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is making some pretty tough demands of Ukraine to end the war.
The Trump administration is asking Ukraine to give American companies part ownership of the country’s rare earth mineral deposits as a way to pay the US back for its military aid, with no protection against future Russian invasion guaranteed.
Witkoff claimed on Sunday that they have reached a deal with Ukraine which will be signed this week.
“I expect to see a deal signed this week,” he told CNN. “You saw President Zelensky waver in his commitment towards that a week ago. President [Trump] sent a message to him and he’s not wavering anymore.”
Reuters reported Friday that negotiators reportedly threatened to cut off Ukraine’s access to Elon Musk’s starlink internet services if they did not reach a favorable agreement on minerals.
Starlink provides crucial internet connectivity to Kyiv and its military, hospitals and businesses.
