Witkoff’s unconventional path into diplomacy has drawn both criticism and curiosity
In a candid moment, US President Donald Trump openly acknowledged that his lead envoy for Ukraine peace talks, Steve Witkoff, “knew nothing” about Russia when he first took on the role. And yet insisted he still believes in his team’s work.
Trump’s comment came during an interview about his administration’s efforts to broker a peace deal in the nearly four-year war between Russia and Ukraine. The remark quickly raised eyebrows because Witkoff, a billionaire real-estate developer by trade, has no formal diplomatic experience and was chosen by Trump to lead negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I set up a meeting for him to meet with President [Vladimir] Putin… Steve had no idea about Russia, had no idea about Putin too much, didn’t know too much about politics, wasn’t too interested,” Trump said, reflecting on how he selected Witkoff for the job.
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Trump says Steve Witkoff “knew nothing” about Russia. pic.twitter.com/OLNkT60jhL
— Clash Report (@clashreport) December 17, 2025
Despite that blunt assessment, Trump framed the choice as a gamble that’s paying off. He pointed to extensive discussions Witkoff has had with world leaders, including marathon talks in Moscow with Putin himself. Publicly, Trump has described the meetings as “reasonably good” and suggested there was optimism about the potential to end the war, even if no concrete peace deal has yet emerged.
From deal-maker to peace broker
Witkoff’s unconventional path into diplomacy has drawn both criticism and curiosity. Critics argue that his lack of training and unorthodox methods, including relying on host translators and sometimes misreading key signals from Moscow, have complicated rather than clarified negotiations.
But Trump, for his part, has repeatedly stood by his envoy, calling him a “great negotiator” and praising the rapport he’s built with counterparts on both sides of the conflict.
Meanwhile, the peace process itself remains far from resolved.
US, Ukrainian, and European officials have been hashing out a multi-point plan to end the war, but sticking points over territory and security guarantees continue to slow momentum. Even with months of talks and multiple high-level meetings, negotiators are still pushing to bridge deep disagreements between Kyiv and Moscow.
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