Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused US special envoy Steve Witkoff of “spreading Russian narratives” about the war in Ukraine, following Witkoff’s recent comments suggesting that a peace deal depends on resolving the status of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories.
“I believe that Mr. Witkoff has taken on the strategy of the Russian side. I think it is very dangerous,” Zelenskyy said during a press conference. “He is consciously or unconsciously spreading Russian narratives,” the Ukrainian leader added, referencing Witkoff’s remarks about negotiations potentially hinging on five regions currently occupied or claimed by Russia.
Witkoff, who recently held a four-hour meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, is currently in Paris with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron. The US State Department described the purpose of the meetings as advancing President Trump’s objective to end the war and stop the bloodshed.
In an interview with Fox News, Witkoff said a peace settlement may depend on the future status of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Crimea — regions Moscow claims to have annexed. However, Ukraine rejects any deal that legitimizes Russia’s control over these areas, of which only Crimea has been fully occupied since its seizure in 2014.
