Overview

• Politico reported frustrations from American, Ukrainian and European officials who questioned Steve Witkoff’s experience and described him as a “rogue actor” who is inconsistently engaged.
• Vice President JD Vance labeled the story a “foreign influence operation,” attacked the use of anonymous sourcing, and insisted Witkoff did not mislead officials, citing intelligence he says he reviewed.
• Allies of the administration, including Donald Trump Jr., Secretary of State Marco Rubio and deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich, publicly defended Witkoff, and Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev dismissed the criticism as false.
• After Witkoff touted a supposed Russian concession allowing a Western security presence in Ukraine, Moscow reiterated it would accept no such arrangement and has resisted a face-to-face between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.
• Witkoff met Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak in New York on Friday to discuss advancing talks, and Zelensky said he expects several meetings with European leaders next week.